ColiRollers? Plating Beads offer a better way to perform a routine procedure-plating bacteria

Novagen? ColiRollers Plating Beads are specially treated glass beads that do the work for you. Simply pipet the cells on the plate, add 10 to 20 beads, and move the plate back and forth a few times. The rolling action of the beads gently spreads the cells evenly and completely over the agar surface. Entire stacks of plates can be processed at one time. After plating, shake the beads off the plate and the plate is ready for the incubator. Use of ColiRollers beads eliminates the inconsistencies of conventional "hockey stick" methods, and provides even distribution of colonies every time.

Typical plating methods use a bent glass rod "hockey stick," which must be immersed in 70% ethanol and flamed between uses, or disposable plastic applicators. Both require vigorous spreading while rotating the plate. These older methods can become extremely laborious and time consuming when processing many samples, and can produce inconsistent results due to differences in pressure applied, length of rotation time, and moisture content of the plates. In addition, an open flame can present a safety hazard.