Cellophane for mycelial harvesting

We use cellophane membrane on top of an agar layer to grow mycelium. The nutrients are able to diffuse through the membrane, but the fungal mycelium is not able to grow into the agar. Because it is difficult to obtain cellophane as sheets, we use cellophane bags that unfold when steeped in water. The bags are in a drawer next to freezer 8.

• Place as many bags as needed in a beaker/tub of demi-water and let them soak for 5 min
• Unfold the bag and lay flat on the bench
• place two round filter papers on top of the cellophane with a little space between them
• add a next cellophane sheet
• make many layers, like a lasagna
• cut the cellophane into circles, use the filter paper as a guide
• make one tower and place inside a glass petri dish wrapped in aluminium foil
• autoclave in wet program

To place on the agar petridish:

• take one filter paper with one cellophane layer using sterile tweezers
• if too dry add sterile demi-water to make the cellophane flat again
• lay on the Petri dish, filter paper up, cellophane down (the paper helps keeping it straight)
• remove the paper and leave the cellophane in the Petri dish.