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#growth media

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Microbial genetics

Complete medium differs from minimal medium by

Complete medium is enriched with yeast extract, peptone, casein hydrolysate, vitamins, and all amino acids, providing preformed metabolites that bypass biosynthetic needs. Minimal medium lacks these additives, forcing cells to synthesize their own. Adding supplements to minimal converts it to supplemented or complete medium that supports both prototrophs and auxotrophs. Classic Luria-Bertani, nutrient agar, or YPD are examples of complete media. The contrast allows replica plating screens where colonies grown on complete medium are tested for failure on minimal, identifying auxotrophic mutations.

Ref: Hartl & Jones, Genetics, 8th ed., Chapter 6: Culture Media Definitions

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Microbial genetics

Minimal medium supports the growth of

Minimal medium contains only essential inorganic salts, nitrogen source, carbon source such as glucose, and trace elements, without amino acids, vitamins, or nucleotides. Only organisms possessing intact biosynthetic apparatus for all growth factors can proliferate, meaning prototrophs. Auxotrophs lacking even one pathway fail to grow unless specific supplement restores requirement. Selection for prototrophic recombinants after conjugation or transformation uses minimal medium to eliminate auxotrophic parents. Therefore minimal medium distinguishes metabolic competence and allows direct scoring of wild-type alleles complementing mutations.

Ref: Griffiths et al., Introduction to Genetic Analysis, 12th ed., Chapter 6: Minimal vs Complete Medium

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