Growth Media Type Tryptone Soya Agar (TSA)

Other common names

The various manufacturers of dehydrated culture media do refer to TSA by other names, these include Casein Soya Bean Digest Agar, Soybean Casein Digest Agar, CASO Agar and Tryptic Soy Agar.

Primary Use

Tryptone Soya Agar is a general-purpose medium for the growth of a wide variety of organisms, including both aerobes and anaerobes, the latter requiring anaerobic conditions.

Technical characteristics

The medium’s simple formulation consists of two types of peptone, sodium chloride and agar.

Fresh and Irradiated TSA pH 7.3 ±0.2

Applications

The main application for TSA is in environmental monitoring within pharmaceutical cleanrooms and sterile facilities. It is commonly gamma-irradiated for increased sterility assurance and can be supplemented with neutralisers for disinfectants or enzymes.

TSA is also typically used as a reference medium when testing other selective media.

Related reading:

• Monitoring the clean room
• Environmental monitoring: how to maintain a cleanroom
• Keep it clean: considerations for pharmaceutical cleanrooms

Appearance

The prepared media is pale straw to straw in colour with a slightly opaque appearance.