Fly food prep

LaRocque lab

Revised 10/19/2011

Fly Food Prep*

* Based on Bloomington’s yellow food recipe, food from Genesee Scientific

Liters of Food / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Nutri-fly BF
(cat no. 66-112) / 1 bag / 2 bags / 3 bags / 4 bags / 5 bags
Tegocept / 2.25 g + 10 mL EtOH / 4.5 g + 20 mL EtOH / 6.75 g + 30 mL EtOH / 9 g + 40
mL EtOH / 11.25 g + 50 mL EtOH
Propionic acid / 4.8 mL / 9.6 mL / 14.4 mL / 19.2 mL / 24 mL
Water / 1.1 L / 2.2 L / 3.3 L / 4.4 L / 5.5 L

You can make up to 5L at a time in a large cooking vessel.

1L food makes ~125 vials or ~28 bottles (or ½ rack vials + ½ rack bottles)

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Fly food prep

LaRocque lab

Revised 10/19/2011

Items needed (per batch):

  • 1 L graduated cylinder
  • Spatula (for stirring)
  • 100 mL graduated cylinder + parafilm to mix tegocept. Also works with a beaker + stir bar
  • 10 mL pipette + pipetteman (for propionic acid)
  • hot plate
  • large 12 quart pot + lid
  • wheaton peristaltic pump + 6 mm silicon tubing
  • flask , bottle, beaker to flush tubing
  • vials, bottles, cheese cloth
  • scale
  • 190 proof ethanol; 200 proof also works
  • timer

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Fly food prep

LaRocque lab

Revised 10/19/2011

  1. Prepare vials, bottles. Determine the amount of vials and bottles needed. Load vials into the pre-loading tray. Place bottles in cardboard container.
  1. Weigh out ingredients
  2. Weigh out tegocept powder and place in appropriate size cylinder, or flask, or beaker.
  3. Add necessary amount of ethanol, cover with parafilm and mix. Option, add stir bar and mix. Set aside to add later after the food cools.
  4. Dispense appropriate amount of propionic acid to a beaker. Set aside to add after the food cools.
  5. Cooking – note, you can do steps A and B while the food is heating/cooking to save time
  6. Add 1/4 amount of water and all the food, using gloved hand to stir and break up any clumps
  7. Add rest of water
  8. Turn on heat – to hottest. Cover
  9. Once heat is on, it is important that the food is frequently stirred to ensure that is does not get stuck to the bottom, or burn, or clump
  10. Bring water and ingredients to a rolling boil
  11. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (every 2-3 minutes)
  12. Remove from heat, and cool to ~70oC
  13. Add tegocept and propionic acid. Mix with spatula

Final consistency of food should be similar to cream of wheat. Anything thicker will be difficult to work with. If it is too thick, add hot water. If a lot of evaporation has occurred, add just a splash of water.

  1. Dispensing food
  2. Thread 6mm tubing through peristaltic pump. Make sure pump is OFF at this time for safety reasons. See peristaltic pump protocol for details.
  3. Put end with glass weight into food. This end should be at the bottom of the peristalsis mechanism. You will need to tilt the pot to get all the food
  4. The end of the tube that will go into the vials and bottles should be thread through the top of the peristalsis mechanism.
  5. Set pump to 7 mL for vials, or 35 mL for bottles
  6. Dispense food. You can either do it manually, or on automatic. Adjust the time (in seconds) between each pump to give more time while using automatic. When done, put non-glass end into the cooking vessel to avoid spilling.
  7. Cover food with cheese cloth and allow to sit over night at room temp
  1. Clean-up
  1. Set volume on pump to 30-50 mL. Fill a bottle with hot water and a little soap. Pump soapy water through the tube and dispense into the cooking vessel with leftover food
  2. Repeat with water only (no soap). Turn pump OFF.
  3. Dismantle tubing from pump (see peristaltic pump protocol for details)
  4. Rinse outside of tubing with hot water to remove residual food. Store in clean cooking vessel
  5. Remove leftover ‘chunks’ of food out of cooking vessel with spatula. Throw in trash can.
  6. Pour rest of liquid down the sink with hot water on. (remove the strainer out of the sink)
  7. Rinse cooking vessel. Wash with soap, rinse well (triple rinse)
  8. Add a few paper towels at the bottom to absorb left over water
  9. Wash spatula with soap/water. Put in cooking vessel to dry
  1. The next day, cover vials and bottles with Glad Press n’ Seal. Move to 4oC if not using immediately.
  2. Upon usage, allow food to warm to room temperature. Then sprinkle with dry active yeast, plug with caps (for bottles), or cotton balls (for vials). For caps, staple the top of the tab to prevent the tab from tearing. Food will last ~4 weeks at 4oC or ~2-3 at room temp.

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