I just completed the hardware assembly for my 1.0 unit and want to try to culture some baker’s yeast, but I am not sure what I should be doing with the tubes that came with the unit. They are not menioned in the hardware assembly guide. Can you provide any tips for getting started?
I am guessing autoclaving the vial is not needed for a first experiment with baker’s yeast. Do I insert the tubes? Any tips for what culture medium I should use? Bonus points if it is available around the house. And can you provide any links or tips on how to start with baker’s yeast (pictured here too)?
Hm, they should go into the vial cap and be there permanently. Did they fall out perhaps? How many tubes do you have, and are there any empty holes in the vial cap?
You should always clean and sterilize before experiments - even your first experiment! For a simple first experiment, you can prepare sugar water as the media. Add some sugar (table sugar is okay, but also corn syrup is good) to water (maybe 5% by weight), mix well and add ~15ml to the vial. Sterilize this in an autoclave (aka pressure cooker), or just carefully heat the vial on a stove top until it boils. Meanwhile, add some bakers yeast to water, and let it rehydrate. Once the vial is cool, add a bit of yeast-water mix to the vial (literally a drop is fine). And your experiment has started.
We have some more docs on good vial + experiment practices here.
We also have some other experiments here.
