Division of Biology and Medicine
BioMed Core Facilities

Drosophila Media Facility

The Drosophila Media Facility is dedicated to providing investigators with high quality media for Drosophila research.

About

The Drosophila Media Facility is dedicated to providing investigators with high quality media for Drosophila research. In the centralized kitchen, a standard cornmeal, sucrose, yeast medium is prepared and dispensed into different sized culture vessels.  Media is prepared according to a strict protocol that ensures consistency in diet and the absence of any bacterial, fungal or insect contamination. Researchers using glass vials return them to the facility where they are autoclaved, washed, and filled again.

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Services and Instruments

Product Quantity
Tray of 10ml Glass Vials  140 vials/tray
Tray of 10ml Narrow Plastic Vials  100 vials/tray
Tray of 12ml Wide Plastic Vials  100 vials/tray
40ml Plastic Bottle Each

Drosophila Media Recipes

We prepare 4 different types of media according to the recipes listed below. Modified recipes may be requested based on the formulas listed below.

K Winter  Media
Ingredient Recipe amount for 1 liter of media
Water (l) 1.00
Agar (g) 7.66
Yeast (g) 29.44
Cornmeal (g) 55.63
Sugar (g) 117.27
Tego (g) 2.55
Ethanol (ml) 9.78
   
K Summer  Media
Ingredient Recipe amount for 1 liter of media
Water (l) 1.00
Agar (g) 8.43
Yeast (g) 32.39
Cornmeal (g) 61.19
Sugar (g) 129.00
Tego (g) 2.81
Ethanol (ml) 9.78
   
T  Media
Ingredient Recipe amount for 1 Rack
Water (l) 0.85
Agar (g) 7.9
SAF Yeast (g) 24.75
Cornmeal (g) 52
Sugar (g) 110
Tego (g) 2.38
95% Ethanol (ml) 9.2
   
W Winter  Media
Ingredient Recipe amount for 1 liter of media
Water (l) 1.0
Agar (g) 7.2
Yeast (g) 29.4
Cornmeal (g) 55.6
Sugar (g) 117.3
Tego (g) 2.6
95% Ethanol (ml) 9.8

Equipment

The Drosophila Media Facility is equipped with a food service quality steam kettle fitted with stirring unit, a Steris autoclave and an electric heat glassware washer. Media is dispensed using Filamatic and Materflex/Digistalic pumps. Media is prepared in a steam-jacketed food kettle and pumped into trays of glass vials (10ml), plastic vials (10ml) or into plastic bottles (40ml) depending on research needs.

Service Request and Reservations

For information on using this facility, please contact Chuck Toth.

Email Chuck Toth

Rates

FY24 Rates

Media Prep Rates
Service Units Internal Academic Rates*
Glass Vials
(100 vials/tray)
Tray $15
Glass Vials Each $0.15
Tray of 10ml Plastic Vials, Narrow
Polypropylene (100 vials/tray)
Tray $21
10ml Plastic Vials, Narrow Polypropylene Each $0.21
Tray of 10ml Plastic Vials, Narrow
Ploystyrene (100 vials/tray)
Tray $24
10ml Plastic Vials, Narrow Polystyrene Each $0.24
Tray of 12ml Plastic Vials, Wide
Polystyrene (100 vials/tray)
Tray $27
12ml Plastic Vials, Wide Each $0.27
40ml Plastic Bottle with Buzz Plug Bottle $0.71
Technical Assistance Hours $29
 
Plug Costs
Supply Unit Rate
Droso-Plugs For Tray of Narrow Vials (100) Tray $7.41
Droso-Plugs For Tray of Wide Vials Tray $7.12
Bag of Droso-Plugs, Wide Vials (1210) Bag $86.11
Bag of Droso-Plugs, Narrow Vials (1,690) Bag $125.25
Buzz Plugs - 40ml Plastic Bottle Each

$0.17

Supply costs are variable and subject to change without notice.

*Rates for Brown and Rhode Island Academic and Hospital Affiliates.

Rates Effective 1/1/2024

Contact/Location

The Drosophila Media Prep Facility is located in the BioMed Center.

Resources for Grants

Drosophila Media Prep Facility. This facility is located at the Biomedical Center and is overseen by the Director of the Multidisciplinary Teaching Laboratories and staffed by a full-time technical assistant. The Facility provides investigators with high quality media for Drosophila research and genetic stock maintenance. To provide large and small quantities of media, this centralized kitchen is equipped with a food-service quality Cleveland Range Kettle MKET-12-T. Media is pumped into trays of vials or plastic bottles using a Gilson Fly Food Dispenser. Used glass vials are returned to the facility where they are sterilized in a Steris autoclave and washed in a Northwestern Systems G403 electric heat glassware washer.

Scientific reproducibility is enhanced through scientific rigor and transparency.  Scientific rigor is the strict application of the scientific method to ensure unbiased and well-controlled experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results. The Drosophila Media Prep Facility is committed to supporting research excellence by adopting the following practices of scientific rigor.

  • Purchase and maintain a variety of high-quality instruments from established vendors such that the best instrument is available for any given research analysis.
  • The equipment is overseen by highly trained experts and well maintained under service contracts or funds budgeted for annual preventive maintenance and repairs.
  • The media prep experts are available for experimental design consults or troubleshooting.
  • Standard operating procedures are followed for media preparation. 

Acknowledgment

This facility was supported in part by Brown University's Division of Biology and Medicine and Provost's office.