Just wanna share this Here are some common reasons for cloudy liquid cultures, along with their potential causes: Contamination: Bacterial or fungal contaminants can cause the liquid culture to become cloudy. Contaminants may compete with or overgrow the desired mushroom mycelium, leading to a deterioration in culture quality. Mycelial Growth: In some cases, a healthy mushroom liquid culture may become cloudy due to vigorous mycelial growth. As the mycelium multiplies, it can make the culture appear cloudy. Agar or Nutrient Particles: If you used agar or other solid media in your liquid culture, small particles of these materials may disperse in the liquid, causing cloudiness. This is not necessarily a sign of contamination. Precipitates: Chemical reactions or changes in temperature can cause certain compounds to precipitate out of the solution, leading to cloudiness. This can happen even in uncontaminated cultures. Spore Germination: If you started your liquid culture with spores, the germination of spores can lead to the appearance of cloudiness as mycelium begins to form. To determine if the cloudiness in your liquid culture is due to contamination or one of the other factors mentioned above, you should closely observe the culture over time. If the cloudiness is due to contamination, you may notice other signs such as unusual colors, foul odors, or the presence of visible contaminants (e.g., mold growth). In such cases, it's best to discard the contaminated culture to prevent further issues.
Appreciate that bro. Thank you. Glad they help. Mycology isn't easy but have figured out some really great tips along the way I want to share with others to potentially help them out.
On my agar and LC broth I will release the pressure immediately when done. On my grains it just depends on how big of a hurry I'm in lol. I have found just as long as your at 15 psi for the correct times on whatever your sterilizing, doesn't really matter if you immediately release the pressure when done or not. Hasn't effected anything I have sterilized anyways. Great question!!
iv been coming to this conclusion taking lc to agar. do you still cross check to agar with your clear lc or just use this as your determining factor. thanks
Alot of people get those 2 backwards. Good clean agar, to sterile lc broth, no need to put it back to agar to test it. If it's not cloudy and the culture matures just fine after at least a month it's good to use. Do your agar work 1st step, grow it out make sure it's clean, then sterilize some lc broth and you should be fine. Putting it to some test grains when mature enough just to be sure is always wise.
@@Myco_BlaineO_ I always test my LC on agar 5 days before use, even if it appears to be clean. Some contaminants, especially in the beginning stages, are not visible to the naked eye. You never know if its become contaminated by a mishap in sterile technique the last time you used it. Shit happens sometimes, and I would much prefer to waste a .2c agar cup instead of a jar of sterilized grains to find out.
If they are cloudy, unfortunately they are bad and I suggest just dumping, sterilizing and retry. Takes a few tries, got a good recipe video and seems to work really well. Just make sure you weigh your ingredients because the ratio to H2o is very important. You'll be fine. Anymore questions feel free to ask, I'll help if I can.
I'm sure if your jar comes out cloudy, but the culture still matured, yes you could potentially, take a bit from that jar and start doing transfers to agar until she's clean. Good question!
I make LC for a living and this video is a great example of an easy way to notice if your LC is infected. Turbidity of the liquid is one of the best ways to tell if your LC is compromised before even bothering to do further QC tests. If your mycelium is healthy it should consume any caramelized sugar particles you might have had after sterilization and make the LC even clearer than it was before inoculation.
Well said my friend. Turbidity, great word drop as well. 100% correct. I've had jars quickly cloud up but after a couple weeks will become clear again when the culture matures. But, if they don't clear up and stay cloudy, the culture is probably contaminated. Not too many videos on this and it is difficult to tell if just starting out with Liquid Cultures. Glad the video is helpful.
@@Myco_BlaineO_ Awesome! I look forward to seeing it! I just started my first Uncle Ben's tek. I'm hoping for some good results so I can take some prints and make some cultures. So much cheaper when you have cultures.
Great question! After you innoculate your sterile LC broth, let it mature for a month or two depending on how long it takes to mature, once your satisfied with the culture growth, store in the fridge and just take syringes out of your jar as needed! So, colonizing at room temp, once mature (at least a month!). Then, store in fridge for longtime use.
Yeah that doesn't prove it's contaminated could be just very rigorous growth. Heat sterilize an innovation loop and dip it in the culture the streak the loop on some agar and you can see if anything besides mycelium grows
Right, doesn't prove it's contaminated, but for people just starting off they don't usually have the proper equipment or knowledge to investigate the contamination any further. This was a video strictly based on visual signs of what is most likely a contaminated LC, to help those who don't have the ability to verify if it is in fact contaminated. If sterilized properly and innoculated properly and your jar starts looking like muggy pond water, it's usually time to toss and try again. Trying to help prevent any further damage the contamination might cause was the purpose of the video.
If you can't test your lc properly then you shouldnt be making lc. Yea this doesnt prove anything my guy, ive been doing this for around 13 yrs and have seen some really nasty cultures come out clean as fucc.. always test your lc or you're wasting your time, doesn't cost shit for agar and condiment cups. Not like you gotta have anything high tech 😂
Idk I'd spend the extra 10$ for agar and cups to test so I'm not wasting time, supplies and cultures. Alls I'm saying if you're scaled up that much to be making lc then you should have the money or proper testing equipment.
I’m working on my first LC for about two weeks now. The solution is crystal clear, even when shaking, but the mycelium looks like white cotton wool, not sperm looking like in some videos…. Any ideas if this sounds normal? Thanks
Like a blob type look? If so that's normal, just depends on strain on how they mature. Just as long as you shake it up and doesn't cloud up, should be fine.
@@Myco_BlaineO_ yeah, sort of fluffy white cloud looking, sitting on the bottom. No clouding in solution its crystal clear even on shake up. Breaks up when shook, the sort of joins up again after. Thanks.
It would be almost impossible to identify the ingredients in an LC mixture unless you asked the mycoligist what they're recipe for LC broth is unfortunately. Shouldn't matter as long as the culture is clean.
If innocilating your sterile LC broth with clean agar already, shouldn't have to test it again if it's maturing correctly and still clear when stirred or shaken. If it clouds up, 9 out of 10 it's contaminated and not viable to use. Want to run your agar first, make sure it's clean, then send that to your LC broth.
@@seanvan6377 I couldnt agree more with you. The method in this video is a simple quick indicator that for sure your LC has tammed. Even clear unsuspecting LC can most definitely be contaminated, its best to put to agar before you use it. @1dudeomg and you are both correct
Yes, you can to better verify that it's contaminated, but if it looks like any of the bad jars it's contaminated, better to toss and try again, just verifying the inevitable at that point lol. If you have sterile broth and innoculating with clean agar it should come out just fine. But contam does happen and will happen, made these videos to help you spot bad stuff before sending it to further destruction lol.
Yes. Should be clear, not cloudy when shaken or stirred up. If it clouds up after inoculation and clears back up within a few weeks, that's still a good culture. If it clouds up and doesn't clear up shortly after, it's most likely contaminated.
I can't go wrong with 150ml water and 6 grams honey. Bring your pressure cooker up to 15-17 psi, turn off heat and PC for a total of 20 min. Perfect everytime.
Processed or in the raw? As soon as I feel any sickness coming on or tickel in my throat I take honey in the raw as much as the tickel comes back. And I get full on sick like 90% less no joke. Bees make kickass antibiotics
You wouldnt want to turn the heat off, thats not how a pressure canner/cooker works for sterilization. You merely want to turn the heat down (usually to med/med-hi, depending on your stove) and continue to apply heat so that the pressure holds at 15psi throughout the 20-30min. Then kill the heat and depressurize.
Maybe not to newbies, tho. Better to help point out the contamination before sending it to further destruction of contaminated grains, especially dealing with lcs. If it looks contaminated just toss and try again.
@Myco_BlaineO_ a microscope you can trust all other methods are a I hope-so . Clear CL would be better to spot the tiny ones and the marble separates better then stirring. not preaching but eyesight to spot .3 microns you better have bionic eyes
Of course you go by smell if unsure. Mycelium has a very specific smell. Nothing else like it in the world. Doesn't smell like pure earth, it's no good. You will know.
The one with a syringe filter was an older jar, I do not vent my lc jars. Just use a self healing injection port. Enough CO2 in the jar when shaken for the culture to mature. No vent needed.
@@stevenbrocker4285 What? You would want them on the pinst more than the quarts. The vacuum created by drawing LC from a larger volume container (32oz) would be less than drawing it from a smaller volume container (16oz). You dont "need" syringe filters or hydrophobic synthetic filter discs on either, theyre just nice for equalizing vacuum/pressure. Im trying desperately to understand why you said what you did. Please explain.
I'm not a pro, but there's a few spots around my town that seem to not care about contaminated spores. I've picked quite a few specimens from all over the place. Florida's not known for it's sterile environment🤣@@Myco_BlaineO_
Hey bro thanks for the content look I got a question if I send you a picture could you possibly help me out and determining if it has contamination or not? Appreciate it if you could let me know and we'll go from there thanks bro
More than happy to try and help if I can bro. Look me up on Facebook and message me there same Facebook name. If that's not an option just send me it on here and I'll see what I can determine for you if I can.
Not everyone is as knowledgeable as yourself. Haven't seen many videos on contaminated LC jars, so I thought I'd make one. Thanks for watching. ☘️🍄☘️ Stay positive!
Got a brand new video on hydrogen Peroxide and contamination. I always blast 1 or 2 ccs of Peroxide into my liquid culture jars right before I store them in the fridge. Helps keep water sterile longer and keeps culture longer. Great question!!! Love it! Yes Peroxide added, only when the culture is mature enough! Very important. Right before she gets stored in the fridge blast a few ccs into the jar of Peroxide to help keep it longer.
I'm not sure if it would help if the culture is already contaminated. I will have to try that myself to see if it will take care of it. I guess that will be my next little experiment and video. I will give it a try and keep yall posted!
I would imagine so. Has worked well with healing tub contam, just never used it in my lcs unless they were good and ready for storage, or have ever used it on grains to try and heal contam issues there. Good info, I will start experimenting further with Peroxide then and keep you posted.
Just wanna share this
Here are some common reasons for cloudy liquid cultures, along with their potential causes:
Contamination: Bacterial or fungal contaminants can cause the liquid culture to become cloudy. Contaminants may compete with or overgrow the desired mushroom mycelium, leading to a deterioration in culture quality.
Mycelial Growth: In some cases, a healthy mushroom liquid culture may become cloudy due to vigorous mycelial growth. As the mycelium multiplies, it can make the culture appear cloudy.
Agar or Nutrient Particles: If you used agar or other solid media in your liquid culture, small particles of these materials may disperse in the liquid, causing cloudiness. This is not necessarily a sign of contamination.
Precipitates: Chemical reactions or changes in temperature can cause certain compounds to precipitate out of the solution, leading to cloudiness. This can happen even in uncontaminated cultures.
Spore Germination: If you started your liquid culture with spores, the germination of spores can lead to the appearance of cloudiness as mycelium begins to form.
To determine if the cloudiness in your liquid culture is due to contamination or one of the other factors mentioned above, you should closely observe the culture over time. If the cloudiness is due to contamination, you may notice other signs such as unusual colors, foul odors, or the presence of visible contaminants (e.g., mold growth). In such cases, it's best to discard the contaminated culture to prevent further issues.
Could have gone more into depth on the subject, yes , but wanted to keep it simple and to the point on key factors of a bad liquid culture.
no one should start their LC with spores, but they do...
Probably the best example of a comparison for contaminated or not I’ve seen.
I really appreciate that, thank you. Hope these videos help and give you an idea of what to look for and help steer everyone in the right direction.
Thanks brother. Barely any videos on this so it’s nice to see you break it down so simply. Appreciate it
Appreciate that bro. Thank you. Glad they help. Mycology isn't easy but have figured out some really great tips along the way I want to share with others to potentially help them out.
Thanks for sharing this man. Great information to have👍🏻
Very clear explanation. TY
Thank you for sharing this info. I have a similar problem and now I know what's going on.😊
You are most welcome, appreciate the positive feedback.
Great video. Do you let your pressure come down by itself after cooking or do you take off the valve?
On my agar and LC broth I will release the pressure immediately when done. On my grains it just depends on how big of a hurry I'm in lol. I have found just as long as your at 15 psi for the correct times on whatever your sterilizing, doesn't really matter if you immediately release the pressure when done or not. Hasn't effected anything I have sterilized anyways. Great question!!
Great info. Ty!
Appreciate the positive feedback!
🤓🤞🏽thanks ! Real helpful 😁
iv been coming to this conclusion taking lc to agar. do you still cross check to agar with your clear lc or just use this as your determining factor. thanks
Alot of people get those 2 backwards. Good clean agar, to sterile lc broth, no need to put it back to agar to test it. If it's not cloudy and the culture matures just fine after at least a month it's good to use. Do your agar work 1st step, grow it out make sure it's clean, then sterilize some lc broth and you should be fine. Putting it to some test grains when mature enough just to be sure is always wise.
@@Myco_BlaineO_ I always test my LC on agar 5 days before use, even if it appears to be clean. Some contaminants, especially in the beginning stages, are not visible to the naked eye. You never know if its become contaminated by a mishap in sterile technique the last time you used it. Shit happens sometimes, and I would much prefer to waste a .2c agar cup instead of a jar of sterilized grains to find out.
hello brother !
I have 3 jars identical to yours and I was looking for information and I found you
If they are cloudy, unfortunately they are bad and I suggest just dumping, sterilizing and retry. Takes a few tries, got a good recipe video and seems to work really well. Just make sure you weigh your ingredients because the ratio to H2o is very important. You'll be fine. Anymore questions feel free to ask, I'll help if I can.
@@Myco_BlaineO_ Thank you very much for your answer brother! I will take your advice and discard the cloudy vials. very kind thank you !
When you dump it you just throw it in a trashcan or soil or use a special dumping way?
@@cthedreammasterp1217dump it under a tree. Maybe you're lucky...
Liked and subscribed
Appreciate it! Hope the videos help.
I wonder if it could transfer to agar and then the clean mycelium on the agar could still make it a fruit
I'm sure if your jar comes out cloudy, but the culture still matured, yes you could potentially, take a bit from that jar and start doing transfers to agar until she's clean. Good question!
I make LC for a living and this video is a great example of an easy way to notice if your LC is infected. Turbidity of the liquid is one of the best ways to tell if your LC is compromised before even bothering to do further QC tests. If your mycelium is healthy it should consume any caramelized sugar particles you might have had after sterilization and make the LC even clearer than it was before inoculation.
Well said my friend. Turbidity, great word drop as well. 100% correct. I've had jars quickly cloud up but after a couple weeks will become clear again when the culture matures. But, if they don't clear up and stay cloudy, the culture is probably contaminated. Not too many videos on this and it is difficult to tell if just starting out with Liquid Cultures. Glad the video is helpful.
You should do a random experiment with the bad ones, like outdoors or maybe do a phone book grow just for the sake of science fun. ❤
Great idea!!! I will come up with somthing and for sure make a video!
@@Myco_BlaineO_ Awesome! I look forward to seeing it! I just started my first Uncle Ben's tek. I'm hoping for some good results so I can take some prints and make some cultures. So much cheaper when you have cultures.
Great idea 💯 I'm lowkey curious
How do you store your liquid culture jars after inoculation??
Just at room temp until fully mature, usually 3 to 4 weeks. Then your able to store in the fridge.
What can you do with the contaminated ones? Can they be used outside?
Just toss and try again.
is liquid culture grown at room temp, or in the fridge?
Great question! After you innoculate your sterile LC broth, let it mature for a month or two depending on how long it takes to mature, once your satisfied with the culture growth, store in the fridge and just take syringes out of your jar as needed! So, colonizing at room temp, once mature (at least a month!). Then, store in fridge for longtime use.
Yeah that doesn't prove it's contaminated could be just very rigorous growth. Heat sterilize an innovation loop and dip it in the culture the streak the loop on some agar and you can see if anything besides mycelium grows
Right, doesn't prove it's contaminated, but for people just starting off they don't usually have the proper equipment or knowledge to investigate the contamination any further. This was a video strictly based on visual signs of what is most likely a contaminated LC, to help those who don't have the ability to verify if it is in fact contaminated. If sterilized properly and innoculated properly and your jar starts looking like muggy pond water, it's usually time to toss and try again. Trying to help prevent any further damage the contamination might cause was the purpose of the video.
If you can't test your lc properly then you shouldnt be making lc. Yea this doesnt prove anything my guy, ive been doing this for around 13 yrs and have seen some really nasty cultures come out clean as fucc.. always test your lc or you're wasting your time, doesn't cost shit for agar and condiment cups. Not like you gotta have anything high tech 😂
Idk I'd spend the extra 10$ for agar and cups to test so I'm not wasting time, supplies and cultures. Alls I'm saying if you're scaled up that much to be making lc then you should have the money or proper testing equipment.
I’m working on my first LC for about two weeks now. The solution is crystal clear, even when shaking, but the mycelium looks like white cotton wool, not sperm looking like in some videos…. Any ideas if this sounds normal? Thanks
Like a blob type look? If so that's normal, just depends on strain on how they mature. Just as long as you shake it up and doesn't cloud up, should be fine.
@@Myco_BlaineO_ yeah, sort of fluffy white cloud looking, sitting on the bottom. No clouding in solution its crystal clear even on shake up. Breaks up when shook, the sort of joins up again after. Thanks.
Yeah depending on species the mycelium can look a bit different.
how can you tell when you have a honeytk liquid culture?
It would be almost impossible to identify the ingredients in an LC mixture unless you asked the mycoligist what they're recipe for LC broth is unfortunately. Shouldn't matter as long as the culture is clean.
The only way to find out is to test the lc on agar plates
If innocilating your sterile LC broth with clean agar already, shouldn't have to test it again if it's maturing correctly and still clear when stirred or shaken. If it clouds up, 9 out of 10 it's contaminated and not viable to use. Want to run your agar first, make sure it's clean, then send that to your LC broth.
Finally somebody who knows what to do....steril or not to begin with doesnt matter, agar QC before you use the LC !
@@seanvan6377 I couldnt agree more with you. The method in this video is a simple quick indicator that for sure your LC has tammed. Even clear unsuspecting LC can most definitely be contaminated, its best to put to agar before you use it. @1dudeomg and you are both correct
Great TAT's bro.
Yeah maybe if you're a white trash POS... reminds me of the "NO RAGRETS" dbag from "We're The Millers"😂😂😂
Cant you just take a sample put it in agar and see what it grows?
Yes, you can to better verify that it's contaminated, but if it looks like any of the bad jars it's contaminated, better to toss and try again, just verifying the inevitable at that point lol. If you have sterile broth and innoculating with clean agar it should come out just fine. But contam does happen and will happen, made these videos to help you spot bad stuff before sending it to further destruction lol.
So it should look like a snow globe? In a weird way.
Yes. Should be clear, not cloudy when shaken or stirred up. If it clouds up after inoculation and clears back up within a few weeks, that's still a good culture. If it clouds up and doesn't clear up shortly after, it's most likely contaminated.
Stir immediately
Yuup
I can't go wrong with 150ml water and 6 grams honey. Bring your pressure cooker up to 15-17 psi, turn off heat and PC for a total of 20 min. Perfect everytime.
Processed or in the raw? As soon as I feel any sickness coming on or tickel in my throat I take honey in the raw as much as the tickel comes back. And I get full on sick like 90% less no joke. Bees make kickass antibiotics
Either or I think is fine on the honey. Haven't used honey so I'm not 100% but I think any honey will do.
You wouldnt want to turn the heat off, thats not how a pressure canner/cooker works for sterilization. You merely want to turn the heat down (usually to med/med-hi, depending on your stove) and continue to apply heat so that the pressure holds at 15psi throughout the 20-30min. Then kill the heat and depressurize.
"She" is contaminated?
Sorry refer to all of my jars as she lol.
Shit is simple hehe
Maybe not to newbies, tho. Better to help point out the contamination before sending it to further destruction of contaminated grains, especially dealing with lcs. If it looks contaminated just toss and try again.
Gained a sub
Wheres your marbles? The naked eye is never as good as a microscope.
Don't use anything extra, just shake or stir the jar to break up the culture.
Exactly why this is a video on VISUAL signs of contamination, for those who don't have a microscope.
@Myco_BlaineO_ a microscope you can trust all other methods are a I hope-so . Clear CL would be better to spot the tiny ones and the marble separates better then stirring. not preaching but eyesight to spot .3 microns you better have bionic eyes
Smell threw your filter
A noise will always know way before an eye can see it. I have never smelt a good smelling contamination.
Of course you go by smell if unsure. Mycelium has a very specific smell. Nothing else like it in the world. Doesn't smell like pure earth, it's no good. You will know.
No air filters on the bad ones...
The one with a syringe filter was an older jar, I do not vent my lc jars. Just use a self healing injection port. Enough CO2 in the jar when shaken for the culture to mature. No vent needed.
You don't need vents on a pint jar smart one, just quarts +
@@stevenbrocker4285 What? You would want them on the pinst more than the quarts. The vacuum created by drawing LC from a larger volume container (32oz) would be less than drawing it from a smaller volume container (16oz). You dont "need" syringe filters or hydrophobic synthetic filter discs on either, theyre just nice for equalizing vacuum/pressure. Im trying desperately to understand why you said what you did. Please explain.
Mine's got a few green dots 🤯😡😡😡🤢
It happens. Sterilize more LC broth and try again. No worries.
Considering mushrooms grow in dung, I would keep the contaminated cultures. That’s just me though.
Not unless you want to waste a bunch of grain and potentially substrate. Best to toss and try again if a jar is iffy.
I'm not a pro, but there's a few spots around my town that seem to not care about contaminated spores. I've picked quite a few specimens from all over the place. Florida's not known for it's sterile environment🤣@@Myco_BlaineO_
Hey bro thanks for the content look I got a question if I send you a picture could you possibly help me out and determining if it has contamination or not?
Appreciate it if you could let me know and we'll go from there thanks bro
More than happy to try and help if I can bro. Look me up on Facebook and message me there same Facebook name. If that's not an option just send me it on here and I'll see what I can determine for you if I can.
I appreciate that brother let me see what I can come up with and I will contact you through the same way.
Annoying...you shouldn't make videos if you dont know what your talking about.
Lol.... appreciate the feedback. Stay positive!
You’re not telling anybody anything they don’t know it’s very obvious that contaminated also put on a shirt or go to the gym
Not everyone is as knowledgeable as yourself. Haven't seen many videos on contaminated LC jars, so I thought I'd make one. Thanks for watching. ☘️🍄☘️ Stay positive!
I saw you can use Capri Sun as a medium!
Not anymore because they took out 40% of the sugar but Alo Exposed and Good To Grow Apple juice are both options
Haven't seen either of those for mediums for LC. I'll have to look into that.
any chance to treat that contamination with hydrogen peroxide???
No man hydrogen peroxide is not useful for 90% of contaminants
Got a brand new video on hydrogen Peroxide and contamination. I always blast 1 or 2 ccs of Peroxide into my liquid culture jars right before I store them in the fridge. Helps keep water sterile longer and keeps culture longer. Great question!!! Love it! Yes Peroxide added, only when the culture is mature enough! Very important. Right before she gets stored in the fridge blast a few ccs into the jar of Peroxide to help keep it longer.
I'm not sure if it would help if the culture is already contaminated. I will have to try that myself to see if it will take care of it. I guess that will be my next little experiment and video. I will give it a try and keep yall posted!
@@Myco_BlaineO_ i saw a guy who uses it n small patches of grain spawn contamination and he says it works well.
I would imagine so. Has worked well with healing tub contam, just never used it in my lcs unless they were good and ready for storage, or have ever used it on grains to try and heal contam issues there. Good info, I will start experimenting further with Peroxide then and keep you posted.