Wine agar plates

Ingredient	For 1L	For 4L	For 5L	For 6L	For 8L
Agar (exact type is unimportant)	22.5 g	90 g	112.5 g	135 g	180 g
Sucrose	25 g	100 g	125 g	150 g	200 g
Nipagin (methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate; Sigma)	1.5 g	6 g	7.5 g	9 g	12 g
Water	875 mL	3500 mL	4375 mL	5250 mL	7000 mL
Red wine concentrate (e.g., Concentrated Grape Juice for Italian Classic red wine [Solvino])	125 mL	500 mL	625 mL	750 mL	1000 mL
Dried baker’s yeast powder or paste (e.g., Fermipan dried baker’s yeast [DSM Bakery Ingredients])

Melt agar and sucrose in water; bring to a boil. Allow to cool slightly. Mix well and add Nipagin and red wine concentrate. Pour plates as required. Nine- or 5-cm-diameter plastic Petri dishes are recommended. Even larger sizes are used for large population cages. Store plates in bags at 4°C for 2-3 wk.
Prior to use, sprinkle yeast powder or smear yeast paste onto the center of the plate only and tape the plate onto a population cage.