Nutrient Agar

Nutrient media are basic culture media used for maintaining microorganisms, cultivating fastidious organisms by enriching with serum or blood and are also used for purity checking prior to biochemical or serological testing. Nutrient Agar is ideal for demonstration and teaching purposes where a more prolonged survival of cultures at ambient temperature is often required without risk of overgrowth that can occur with more nutritious substrate.

Peptone and yeast extract provide the necessary nitrogen compounds, carbon, vitamins and also some trace ingredients necessary for the growth of bacteria. Sodium chloride maintains the osmotic equilibrium of the medium.