3. Potato Saguaro

(Castrezana, DIS, 1998)
for Drosophila nigrospiracula and Drosophila mettleri

Standard Recipe: (to make approximately 24 glass bottles)

Saguaro Cactus (autoclaved): 188 g
De-ionized water: 1600 mL
Potato buds (finely ground in blender): 282 g
Propionic acid: 18.8 mL
Cooking on stove top

To make approximately 3 glass bottles:
Saguaro Cactus (autoclaved): 23.5 g
De-ionized water: 200 mL
Potato buds (finely ground in blender): 35.25 g
Propionic acid: 2.35 mL
Cooking on stove top

1. Put the finely ground potato buds in a large Ziploc bag.
2. Add autoclaved Saguaro and de-ionized water to a blender. Blend at high speed, approximately 60 seconds. Make sure texture of blended solution is smooth and creamy. Make sure there are no chunks of Saguaro.
3. Pour blended mixture into a medium sized pot. Bring mixture to approximately 90? C (small bubbles, no boil).
4. Allow mixture to cool on a cold stove top burner to 60? C. (Watch closely – this will happen quickly). Stir continuously.
5. Add propionic acid to mixture.
6. At 60? C, pour hot cactus suspension into large Ziploc bag containing the potato buds.
7. Knead/mix thoroughly to uniform consistency.
8. Cut a corner of the Ziploc bag and dispense by squeezing into glass bottles. Squeeze approximately 79 mL or 1/3 cup of mixture into each bottle.

Pouring Dimensions:
Glass vials: 10 mL/vial = 1000 mL (1L)/case of 100 vials
Plastic vials: 10 mL/vial = 1000 mL (1L)/case of 100 vials
Glass bottles: 1/3 cup/bottle ~ 2 L/case of 24 bottles
Plastic bottles: ¼ cup/bottle ~ 1.5 L/case of 24 bottles