Aseptic technique
Before you start, get a bottle of
O-SYL and wipe down your bench with it
You will need a flame to light the
bunsen burner
• If you are using a
torch, do NOT keep
striking it, if there is
no spark – your fellow
students would like to
continue to breathe
• You will NEVER get a
bunsen burner to light
if there is no spark in
the torch
Turn on the blue knob to provide
gas and to light the bunsen burner
Your flame does not need to be
very high; adjust it, if necessary
It is now time to start working with
your bacterial culture
Your right pinky is now the most
important part to perform the next steps
• Hold the tube with the
bacterial culture with your
left hand
• Remove the cap with
your pinky from your right
hand
• In the aseptic technique,
you want to try NOT to
put anything down on the
counter if you do not have
to
Every time you open or close your bacterial
culture, you want to flame your tube
• Remember, the cap is
being held by your pinky
of your right hand and is
NOT on the counter
• With the tube in your left
hand, pass it through the
flame
• If you need to use the
loop, hold it between your
thumb and forefinger of
your right hand
Close the tube by transferring the cap from
your right hand onto the cover of the tube
Time to clean up
• When you are done with the cultures, place
them in the rack or container provided by your
instructor
• Make sure that you have turned off the flame
• All bacterial plates that you do not want must be
placed in the orange bags
• Tubes that you do not want should be placed in
the RACK in the back of the room – they are not
discarded
• Wipe down your bench with O-SYL