2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 58-63
Though Drosophila melanogaster is thought to be a suitable insect for a genetic experiment, D. melanagaster is hardly used in biology class in junior and senior high schools. One of the reasons why teachers do not conduct experiments in genetics is that it is difficult for teachers to prepare the medium for the D. melanogaster.
We tried to develop a suitable instant medium for D. melanogaster in order to carry out the experiment more easily in science classes. We prepared a new instant medium with dry mashed potatoes (Yukijirushi Dairy Products LTD), liquid New Calorie Mate (Ohtsuka Pharmaceutical LTD) and dry yeast, and it was sterilized. We used n-butyl p-Hydroxybenzoate for the fungicide. This instant medium was found to be suitable in order to culture D. melanogaster, and more suitable than Formula 4-24 instant Drosophila medium BLUE (medium BLUE, Carolina Biological Supply Company).
This instant medium costs 23 yen a bottle, whereas the medium BLUE costs 27 yen a bottle. So, we used skimmed milk instead of liquid New Calorie Mate in order to make a far cheaper instant medium. This cheaper one costs only 8 yen a bottle. The cheaper instant medium has been proven to be as suitable as the medium BLUE.
