Isopropyl As A Sterilizer.

[MCT]

Hey all. Today I made up some blank slants for the first time, and in a couple of days will be inoculating them with various yeasts.
I have been following these directions: http://www.unm.edu/~draper/beer/slantuse.html
I will be using a paperclip or the like to inoculate (word of the day for me :lol: ) the slants, but this needs to be STERILE I guess. The above guide says to use ethyl alcohol, but the local pharmacy only had 70% isopropyl swabs. Will these do the job? Does alcohol as a sterilizer need a certain contact time?

Also, the chemist reckons the best sterilzer he had there was Hydrogen Peroxide (3%), so I bought a small bottle anyway. Was only a couple of bucks. Maybe this is better?
Any thoughts?

 

[Vlad the Pale Aler]

I'd be interested in this too, we have a 20l drum of it (isopropyl) at work.

 

[Sammus]

A flame works best sorry I cant offer any real input.

 

[MCT]

A flame works best sorry I cant offer any real input.

Well the best I can do for a flame is the trusty old Bic lighter, which would just soot up the paperclip. Or I could fire up the Rambo burner I spose!
Wouldn't a hot paperclip just kill the yeast? By letting it cool, would it still be sterile? Or I could cool it down by using an isopropyl swab....hmmm.
Or am I just going overboard here?

 

[Vlad the Pale Aler]

Found me some steriliser

 

[sah]

Well the best I can do for a flame is the trusty old Bic lighter, which would just soot up the paperclip. Or I could fire up the Rambo burner I spose!
Wouldn't a hot paperclip just kill the yeast? By letting it cool, would it still be sterile? Or I could cool it down by using an isopropyl swab....hmmm.
Or am I just going overboard here?

I use isopropyl as a surface prep and general steriliser when handling yeast. I flame my innoculating loop on the gas stove or a bunsen burner though. The isopropyl is cheap enough from the supermarket as rubbing alcohol. The chemists are able to sell ethyl because it'd be the cheapest grog around. Good thing with alcohol as a steriliser is its speed.

regards,
Scott

 

[Leigh]

When I did some work in a microbiology lab, we'd use flame...for larger items you'd dip in alcohol and light that...

 

[Zwickel]

I wouldnt use any chemicals for that. What kills the bacteria, will kill the yeast as well.

Only heat can do the job.

 

[JasonY]

I have some in a water spray bottle that I use to spray the taps on the fermenter every time I draw a sample off. I don't know about using it inside the fermenter but I figure a spray on the tap will give it a clean and leave not a lot of residue.

 

[katzke]

Hey all. Today I made up some blank slants for the first time, and in a couple of days will be inoculating them with various yeasts.
I have been following these directions: http://www.unm.edu/~draper/beer/slantuse.html
I will be using a paperclip or the like to inoculate (word of the day for me :lol: ) the slants, but this needs to be STERILE I guess. The above guide says to use ethyl alcohol, but the local pharmacy only had 70% isopropyl swabs. Will these do the job? Does alcohol as a sterilizer need a certain contact time?

Also, the chemist reckons the best sterilzer he had there was Hydrogen Peroxide (3%), so I bought a small bottle anyway. Was only a couple of bucks. Maybe this is better?
Any thoughts?

Can not get hi-proof alcohol at the liquor store? We have a product called 'Ever Clear' in the USA that is like 180 proof or so. Just listened to a internet show from back in 06 by Charlie Papazian and he used it to swab his yeast cultures.

 

[nqtrancer]

Can not get hi-proof alcohol at the liquor store? We have a product called 'Ever Clear' in the USA that is like 180 proof or so. Just listened to a internet show from back in 06 by Charlie Papazian and he used it to swab his yeast cultures.

Fairly certain Ever Clear is very similar to our uncolored methylated spirits which is a mixture of ethyl alcohol (95%) and methyl alcohol (%5), where Ever Clear is just ethyl alcohol.

You can pickup 99% Isopropryl for about $12 per 5litres from any local chemical store.

 

[reviled]

You can pickup 99% Isopropryl for about $12 per 5litres from any local chemical store.

Not in NZ Apparantly you can make drugs out of it

 

[raoul]

Metho in a glass, dip and light.... It kills everything.

then dont put back in glass until the flame is out :lol:

 

[Snow]

Fairly certain Ever Clear is very similar to our uncolored methylated spirits which is a mixture of ethyl alcohol (95%) and methyl alcohol (%5), where Ever Clear is just ethyl alcohol.

You can pickup 99% Isopropryl for about $12 per 5litres from any local chemical store.

G'day nqtrancer, can you please elaborate? What should I be looking for that you would class as a "local chemical store"? I can't remember seeing anything that fits that description in my travels around Brisbane.

Cheers - Snow.

 

[Wasabi]

Metho in a glass, dip and light.... It kills everything.

then dont put back in glass until the flame is out :lol:

That's standard micro lab practice, and it's cheap!