Biospec Beads

Lab Services is the official BNL distributor for Biospec beads

Lab Services is also the right place for Biospec beads. Most beads are readily available in our standard inventory, ensuring quick delivery. For more information or a price quote, please fill out the contact form.

Size

• When working with Bacteria use the 0.1mm diameter glass beads.
• When working with Yeast/Fungi use the 0.5mm diameter glass beads.
• When working with Most Tissue use the 1.0mm diameter glass beads or zirconia/silica beads.
• When working with Skin or “soft” plant material use a 2.0mm diameter zirconia beads.
• When working with really tough or fibrous tissue use the same sized beads (see above) but choose a more dense bead material. For example, researchers prefer 0.1mm zirconia-silica beads for disruption of spores or 2.3 mm chrome-steel beads for extraction of tough fibrous plant material like monocot leaves. Some users have had good results using the MiniBeadbeater in a “dry grinding” process at liquid nitrogen temperatures.

Density

• Glass has a density of 2.5 g/cc (most commonly used bead media for “Beadbeating”)
• Zirconia/Silica has a density of 3.7g/cc (50% more dense than glass – good for spores and most tissues)
• Silicon Carbide (sharp particle, not a bead) has a density of 3.2 g/cc (May work faster on tissue samples because the particles have sharp cutting edges. Their utility is still under investigation, but see Brein’s comments below)
• Zirconia has a density of 5.5g/cc (100% more dense than glass – good for tough tissue)
• Steel, stainless or not, has a density of 7.9g/cc (used mostly for grinding leaves – stainless steel beads are expensive and but can be reused. Chrome steel beads are 10X cheaper – cheap enough to be use one time and thrown away.)
• Tungsten Carbide has a density of 14.9g/cc (While very dense, this bead is not recommended for biopreps – leaves prep dirty)

Other uses for beads:

• Quick and easy plating of yeast and bacteria. Add a few sterile 6.3mm diameter glass beads to the plate to evenly spread yeast and bacteria inoculums. No need to remove them afterward.
• Pack roller bottles, tubes or vials with 6.3 mm diameter glass beads to greatly increase the surface area for tissue culture growth. In this application the beads should be packed tightly to prevent movement of the beads during rolling or shaking. When growing cell in non-agitated culture flasks, confluence is reached faster and cell density is enhanced by adding a layer of 0.1 mm diameter beads (see Growth of Three Established Cell Lines on Glass Microcarriers by James Carani, et. al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol.25, p.1359-1372 (1983).
• Create a bio-reactor by packing a column with glass beads and inoculate with select surface-adhering micro-organisms or cells.
• Keep dialysis tubes vertical during dialysis by adding a few large beads before sealing

Beads (Guide-Lines)
CLICK HERE for detailed information on:

• Selecting the correct beads for cell disruption
• Bead Properties
• Other applications for beads
• Cleaning beads
• Useful user commentary
• Ways to load beads in vials
• and more