pure culture

American  

noun

1. the growth of only one microorganism in a culture.

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pure culture British  

noun

1. bacteriol a culture containing a single species of microorganism

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Etymology

Origin of pure culture

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

They produced a pure culture of this new bacterial strain, in which they were finally able to identify the key enzyme that triggers the oxidation of phosphite to phosphate.

From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2023

German physician Robert Koch is credited with discovering the techniques for pure culture, including staining and using growth media.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

“If we had a pure culture, it would be a lot easier” to test ideas about cell metabolism and environmental influences on conductance, says the center’s Andreas Schramm.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 19, 2020

Denmark’s Carlsberg brewery established one of the world’s first yeast-biology labs in 1875, and it was there that Emil Christian Hansen isolated the first pure culture of a brewing yeast in 1883.

From Nature • Jul. 25, 2016

Such a method is commonly followed when a lactic ferment, either a commercial pure culture, or a home-made starter, is added to milk to overcome the effect of gas-generating bacteria.

From Outlines of Dairy Bacteriology, 8th edition A Concise Manual for the Use of Students in Dairying by Russell, H. L. (Harry Luman)