Freeze-drying your bacterial strains
Bespoke Freeze-Drying (Lyophilisation) Services
Preserve your bacterial or fungal cultures with confidence using our freeze-drying service.
With over 50 years of experience, NCTC is a trusted authority in freeze-drying, a proven dehydration technique for long-term microbial preservation. Our extensive viability data supports freeze-drying as a reliable, cost-effective method to maintain culture integrity over decades.
Why Choose Our Freeze-Drying Service?
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Preserve your unique samples
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Research & development – improve experimental reproducibility
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Cost savings – stable at room temperature, eliminating the need for refrigeration or cold-chain shipping
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Reduced contamination risk – instant resuscitation, minimal pipetting
Cultures can be preserved using this method in one of two formats:
Glass ampoules
An alternative to ampoules is to freeze-dry cultures in vials with a rubber closure held in place by a crimped foil, easy-opening cap. These are much easier to open than glass ampoules, however, cultures maintained in such vials may remain viable for only about two years.
Customers may specify the number of ampoules required, in multiples of 10 (up to 180) and can choose their own identifying number for the sample, up to a maximum of 12 characters. Customers should agree the number of ampoules and the information to be included on the label at the earliest stage, so that the ampoules can be prepared prior to receipt of the culture to be freeze-dried.
Capped vials
An alternative to ampoules, is to freeze-dry cultures in vials with a rubber closure held in place by a crimped foil, easy-opening cap. These are much easier to open than glass ampoules, however, cultures maintained in such vials may remain viable for only about two years.
This format is therefore highly appropriate for specimens for EQA scheme distributions, where significant numbers need to be produced for dispatch to multiple scheme participants, and where long-term storage is not required.
Customers may select the number of vials required in multiple of 100 (up to 500) and can choose their own identifying number for the sample, up to a maximum of 12 characters. Customers should agree the number of vials and the information to be included on the label at the earliest stage, so that the vials can be prepared prior to receipt of the culture to be freeze-dried.
Please note: The bespoke freeze-drying service is suitable for ACDP Hazard Group 2 bacteria only.
Contact us with your requirements to obtain a quote and information on how to submit samples.