Paraffin preservation of microbial cultures: Techniques, mechanisms, and long-term storage applications

Preservation of microbial cultures is essential in microbiology for maintaining genetic stability and ensuring reproducibility of experiments. The paraffin method is a simple and effective technique used for long-term preservation of microbial cultures (Tripathi et al., 2018; Tortora et al., 2020). This method involves embedding a microbial culture in a layer of molten paraffin wax, which provides physical protection and creates an anaerobic environment, thus preventing desiccation and microbial contamination (Smith et al., 2014).