Final answer:
Bacterial Agar is a solidifying agent derived from red seaweed used to create a growth medium for bacteria, allowing them to form visible colonies. Agar's gel-like property upon cooling makes it suitable for a variety of laboratory applications, like identifying bacterial properties on specialized agars such as Bile Esculin Agar and EMB agar. Bacteria cultured on agar slants can be maintained for a longer period compared to those on agar plates.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bacterial Agar is a versatile substance commonly used in scientific and medical laboratories. It is a form of agar-agar, which is a polysaccharide derived from red seaweed, specifically a group called Rhodophyceae. Agar is unique in that it gels when cooled after being dissolved in hot water, forming a solid medium. This property allows scientists to create a stable surface for the growth of bacteria, upon which they can form visible colonies.
Agar is indispensable for a range of experiments and diagnostic tests, as it is an inert and non-nutritive substance. This means it doesn't interfere with the growth patterns of the microorganisms being studied. In applications like blood agar plates, which are supplemented with red blood cells, agar serves as a medium for identifying hemolytic activity of bacteria like Streptococcus. Other specialized agars, such as EMB agar and Bile Esculin Agar, possess certain compounds and dyes that are used to isolate and differentiate specific types of bacteria based on their biochemical properties.
In the laboratory, bacteria can be cultured on agar in various forms, such as slants, stabs, and plates. Culturing bacteria on agar slants, in particular, allows for longer-term maintenance of bacterial cultures, as they tend to remain viable for weeks to a few months, especially when stored in a refrigerator. Meanwhile, bacteria on agar plates are often used to observe colonial morphology or to separate mixed cultures but are more transient in nature due to dehydration issues unless properly stored.