Cell Culture Media Preparation Planner
Plan volumes and amounts for base medium, serum, antibiotics, and supplements per batch or per day using simple percentage, fold-dilution, and mass-per-volume calculations.
Important: This tool provides simplified calculations for planning purposes only. It does not replace validated media recipes, manufacturer datasheets, or your lab's SOPs. Not for clinical, therapeutic, or regulatory use.
Media Preparation Parameters
This planner uses simple percentage, fold-dilution, and mass-per-volume calculations to estimate volumes and amounts. It does not replace validated medium recipes, manufacturer datasheets, or your lab's SOPs.
Mode & Volume
Total final volume of one batch (e.g., 500 mL, 1000 mL).
How many batches per day (used when planning per day).
Base Medium
Name of the base medium.
1× for ready-to-use, 10× for concentrate, etc.
Components
E.g., 10 for 10% FBS (v/v) in the final medium.
E.g., 100 for a 100× antibiotic stock.
Results
Enter a batch volume, base medium, and at least one component (FBS, antibiotics, supplements) to see per-batch and per-day media preparation estimates.
Understanding Cell Culture Media Preparation
What is a "Batch" of Cell Culture Medium?
A batch refers to a single preparation event where you combine base medium with various supplements to create "complete" or "working" medium. The batch volume is the target final volume after all components are mixed. Common batch sizes include 100 mL, 500 mL, or 1 L, depending on your cell culture needs and storage considerations.
Typical Components of Cell Culture Media
Base Medium
The foundation of cell culture medium, providing essential nutrients, salts, amino acids, vitamins, and often a pH indicator. Common examples include DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium), RPMI-1640, MEM (Minimum Essential Medium), and specialized formulations for specific cell types. Base media can be purchased as 1× ready-to-use or as 10× concentrates that require dilution.
Serum (e.g., FBS)
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is the most common serum supplement, providing growth factors, hormones, attachment factors, and other undefined components. It's typically added at 5-20% of the final volume, with 10% being standard for many cell lines. FBS is expressed as a percentage of the final medium volume (v/v).
Antibiotics
Antibiotics like penicillin/streptomycin (Pen/Strep) help prevent bacterial contamination. They're often supplied as concentrated stocks (e.g., 100×) and diluted to 1× in the final medium by adding the appropriate volume (batch volume ÷ stock fold).
Other Supplements
Depending on the cell type and application, you may add L-glutamine (or GlutaMAX), non-essential amino acids, sodium pyruvate, HEPES buffer, or specific growth factors. These may be specified as percentages, fold-dilutions, or mass concentrations (mg/mL).
Understanding Concentration Specifications
Percent of Final Volume
Example: 10% FBS
Meaning: 10% of the final batch volume is FBS
Calculation: Volume = (% ÷ 100) × batch volume
For 500 mL batch: 50 mL FBS
Stock Fold Dilution (×)
Example: 100× Pen/Strep
Meaning: The stock is 100 times concentrated
Calculation: Volume = batch volume ÷ fold
For 500 mL batch: 5 mL of 100× stock
Mass per Volume (mg/mL)
Example: 2 mg/mL supplement
Meaning: Final concentration of 2 mg per mL
Calculation: Mass = concentration × batch volume
For 500 mL batch: 1000 mg (1 g) to weigh out
Per-Batch vs. Per-Day Planning
Per-Batch Planning
Use this when you need to know the volumes and amounts for a single preparation event. Ideal for one-time preparations or when batch size varies.
Per-Day Planning
Use this when you prepare multiple batches daily and want to calculate total daily requirements. Simply multiplies per-batch amounts by the number of batches per day.
Limitations & Important Considerations
- ⚠This planner assumes ideal mixing and does not account for volume changes when dissolving powders or for density differences between components.
- ⚠The planner does not consider pH adjustment, sterile filtration requirements, or osmolarity balancing.
- ⚠Results are approximate and should be verified against manufacturer datasheets and your lab's validated protocols.
- ⚠This tool does not provide brand-specific recipes, lot-specific adjustments, or GLP/GMP compliance guidance.
For Research & Educational Use Only
This tool is a simple planning aid for estimating volumes and amounts. It is NOT suitable for clinical, therapeutic, or regulatory decision-making. Always follow your laboratory's standard operating procedures (SOPs), manufacturer instructions, and safety guidelines when preparing cell culture media.
Frequently Asked Questions
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