message from ceo · supplier, to restrict annual harvests and place quotas on foreign exports. as a...

HiMediaLaboratories™ e-Newsletter Volume 4 | November 2016 Issue

Message from CEO

Dear Friends,

THE VISION TO “SERVE THE USERS WITH A HOMEGROWN SUBSTITUTE WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON QUALITY”

GOT US THIS FAR.

HiMedia started manufacturing Culture Media 40 years ago, expressly as an import substitute to serve the Indian users. Later the global response to the quality culture media over the years has enabled us to win the support of distinguished users around the globe.

European response has empowered us to set up a centrally located warehouse in Frankfurt, Germany. This has enabled our material to reach any part of Europe within Eight days. With your support we can stock more - we can send our representative for more information and interaction. We have prepared a separate catalogue for the European market for your convenience.

At HiMedia we are invested in finding ways and means to improve our services offerings.

Do send us an email at [email protected] with your recommendations and requirements so that we could design and put into action newer plans that’ll serve you better.

HiMedia IN EUROPEMICROBIOLOGY - AGAR I'M COOL EVEN WHEN I FEEL THE HEAT. 40 YEARS OF HiMedia

..AND ENSURING OUR CHEERFUL FREE LIFE

THANK YOU HiMedia FOR VEG BASED MEDIA...

HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. | himedialabs.com | 1

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY - The PCR Profile

Dr. G. M. Warke


Lab to Tab™ | e-Newsletter Volume 4 | November 2016 Issue

MICROBIOLOGY - AGAR

FIRST IT MADE ITS PLACE IN MICROBIOLOGY.THEN IT MADE ITS PLACE IN HISTORY.AGAR - THE HEART OF MICROBIOLOGYKnown to be at the center of most microbiology labs, the towering stacks of agar plates stand tall to welcome you into the charmed world of microbiology. In here each plate is an island like home to a menagerie of microorganisms.

Scientifically speaking Agar is a jelly-like substance derived from seaweed species of the group Gelidium, Gracilaria, Pterocladia etc., and It is perhaps microbiology’s most important substance. For the longest time Agar has been used as a solid substrate to culture and isolate bacteria.

Besides that Agar is used in a wide range of foods making it an important commodity in the nutrition and food industry. But that’s not all. Additionally agar can also be used as a laxative, an appetite suppressant, a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, a thickener for soups, a preservative in fruit preserves, ice cream, and other desserts, a clarifying agent in brewing, and for sizing paper and fabrics.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT AGAR1. Composition : It is a complex mixture of polysaccharides composed of two major fractions - agarose, a

neutral polymer, and agaropectin, a charged, sulfated polymer.

2. Properties : It is insoluble in cold water, but it swells considerably, absorbing as much as twenty times its own weight of water. It dissolves readily in boiling water and sets to a firm gel at concentrations as low as 0.50%.


3. Sources :

Biological Source -

i. Gelidium speciesii. Pterocladia speciesFamily - Gelidiaceae, Rhodophyceae (red Algae).

Geographical Source - Japan, Korea, South Africa, U.S.A., China, Indonesia, Australia and India.

THE JOURNEY

HE FORGOT.AND THEN MADE AN UNFORGETTABLE DISCOVERY.Agar was accidentally invented in Japan during the 17th century when a forgetful innkeeper left seaweed extract out in the cold. Since then Agar has been used for centuries as a thickener, and to make all manner of deliciously wobbly desserts.

The revolutionary use of Agar as solidifying agent was thought first by Angelina Fannie Hesse, wife of Walter Hesse, who joined Koch’s laboratory to do studies on air qualities. The observation by Angelina as to why her jellies and puddings stayed solid even in the hot summer temperatures, made her to tell her husband about agar. She had learned about this heat resisting agent while growing up in New York from a Dutch neighbor who had emigrated from Java. Development of the new agent by Angelina led to a resounding success & today agar is the lifeline of any microbiological study. The best example of Science from Kitchen to Lab.

In December 2015, Nature News reported that agar supplies have been affected by a global shortage of Gelidium seaweed. Because it grows on rocky sea beds and requires turbulent water for a steady supply of nutrients and oxygen, Gelidium cannot be farmed. Instead, it’s harvested by divers, or collected when washed ashore by the tide.



Dwindling seaweed populations and overharvesting have led Morocco, currently the world’s largest Gelidium supplier, to restrict annual harvests and place quotas on foreign exports. As a result, wholesale agar prices have nearly tripled to US$ 35- 45 per kilogram - an all- time high. Thermo Fisher Scientific and Millipore Sigma, two major suppliers of laboratory reagents, have already stopped selling some agar products.

If the situation worsens, it’s likely that many microbiology labs will have to scale back on experiments. And they might not be the only ones affected.

The global agar market revenue is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of over 4.9% in terms of value and 2.6%, in terms of volume during the forecast period. The global agar market is currently witnessing major trends like the usage of agar in bakery industry

A global shortage of certain seaweed is causing agar laboratory supplies to go on backorder. The shortage can be traced to newly enforced trade restrictions on the seaweed, arising from environmental concerns that the algae are being overharvested. It is unclear how deeply the dearth will hit researchers, but it has already pushed wholesale prices of agar.

HiMedia is looking out for cultivation of competitive species of sea-weeds and creating a long-term sustainable and high quality resource of agar. The scientists at HiMedia are also in the quest to screen hydrocolloids that can act as economical substitutes for agar. This may reduce dependency on agar.

PRODUCT LISTING» Dehydrated Culture Media

Powder and Granulated Forms

HiEncap™, HiVeg™ and HiCynth™

» Ready Prepared Media

» Animal and Vegetable Hydrolysates

» Antimicrobial Susceptibility Systems

» Culture Media Supplements and Bases

» Bacteriological Differentiation Aids

» Range of Chromogenic Media

» Lyophilised Microbial Strains

» Food Safety Diagnostic Kits


WHAT IF YOUR CHOICES CAN HELP REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HUNGRY BEINGS ON THIS PLANETThe world may not be able to feed itself by year 2050 if it does not increase food productivity says a recent report by Global Harvest Initiative. Micropropagation, the widest used Plant Tissue Culture technology helps increase crop productivity by delivering superior quality plants with clonal uniformity.

Choose from our comprehensive range of Plant Tissue Culture products for commercial production and research. Choose… to make a difference.

www.himedialabs.com

PLANT TISSUE CULTUREMedia, Plant Growth Regulators, Antibiotics, Gelling Agents, Plant Tissue Culture Tested Chemicals. For more details contact your local HiMedia sales representative.

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Copyright © 2016 - HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.


40 Years of HiMedia

A JOURNEY OF 40 YEARS.AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME.

READ ABOUT THE MILESTONES OF HiMedia LABORATORIESWe forayed into the field of BioSciences in 1976. Most players in culture media and ingredient manufactures at the time were based out of India and the complexity of technology was yet to be established in India.

It has been 40 years since, and we have established ourselves as one of the most recognizable and respected names in the BioSciences Industry. In India, we have 85% of the market share and globally we rank among the top 3 major suppliers of dehydrated microbiology media.



MOLECULAR BIOLOGY - The PCR Profile

A TECHNIQUE THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE TO THE SMALL THINGS.Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is one of the most remarkable technique which has helped advance the field of Molecular Biology. PCR allows researchers to make a million copies of sparse DNA samples in an efficient and cost effective way. Soon after its discovery, this technique became an integral part and basis of various Molecular Biology experiments, with the Human Genome Project benefitting the most.

KARY MULLIS GAVE BIRTH TO AN IDEA. OTHERS MADE IT A REALITY.Kary Mullis, PhD, a scientist at Cetus Corporation first perceived the idea of PCR as a technique to copy and synthesize fragments of DNA in the year 1983. Soon after the team of Scientists at Cetus Corporation turned this theoretical idea into a reality over a period of a few years..

IT IDENTIFIES THE SMALLEST MICRO ORGANISM BUT HAS THE BIG IMPACT ON THE WORLD.The PCR has completely revolutionized the research in the fields of Biological Sciences, Medicine, Law and Criminology. The positive impact of this technique is reflected by its widespread use in our day to day lives where this technique is used from establishing a paternity or family relationships to matching organ donors to recipients. PCR has played a very important role in exonerating a wrongly accused person, identifying endangered species, detecting microorganisms that pollute soil, air and water, identifying uncultivable microbes in the environments, identifying catastrophe victims etc.


The contribution of PCR is tremendous in the field of Molecular Diagnostics which could progress in terms of faster disease diagnosis. In the field of diagnostics, the level of automation has reached a point where Molecular Techniques like PCR has replaced the traditional culture based detection to improve speed, accuracy and sensitivity of detection in developed countries. With healthcare becoming increasingly available to a large number of people there is a greater need for faster molecular detection techniques as the number of samples have increased significantly.

PCR NOTES FROM HiMedia’s DESKAt HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., with an endeavor to be at the cusp of cutting-edge research we have launched a series of Semi quantitative (Prima Series- Prima-96, Prima-Duo, Prima-Trio and Prima 96Plus) and Quantitative PCR Thermal Cyclers (Insta Q96 and Insta Q 48 M4 and Insta QM2). These Thermal Cyclers cater to the varied needs of researchers and scientists. The multiple blocks in the Prima Series provide flexibility and the machine’s excellent ramping rates, owing to the Peltier blocks, help finish the assays faster with a great uniformity and accuracy. The Insta Q Real Time systems are an open platform with PMT based bottom detection systems for the most sensitive detection. These detection systems with a seamless switchover from SYBr chemistries to Probe based chemistries provide a great ease for usage and designing of assays.

As a futuristic approach for disease diagnosis, HiMedia launched a mobile Thermal Cycler- Palm PCR™- which is portable, stand-alone, battery operated and ultra-light which can be operated under different conditions at various geographical locations. This device has cut down the time required for PCR assays from hours to mere minutes.



HiMedia in Europe

HiMedia proudly announces the creation of a logistics base and warehouse in Europe. With very soon a stock of more than 1,000 available products. This investment will enable HiMedia to supply a wide range of media and reagents within a couple of days through a large network of distributors.

EUROPELogistics - Tel : +49 6251 989 24-26 | Fax : +49 6251 989 24-27 | Email : [email protected] and Sales - Tel : +33 6 11 76 49 24 | Fax : +33 1 48 85 69 94 | Email : [email protected]

CORPORATE OFFICEA-516, Swastik Disha Business Park, Via Vadhani Indl Est, LBS Marg, Mumbai - 400 086, India.Tel : 00-91-22-6147 1919 / 2500 3747 | Fax : 00-91-22-6147 1920 / 2500 5764Web : www.himedialabs.com Email : [email protected] / [email protected]

message from ceo · supplier, to restrict annual harvests and place quotas on foreign exports. as a...

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