Meat and Fish Peptones, Beef Extract

Traditional nitrogen sources from animal tissue. Meat peptone and bacteriological peptone are ingredients of classic formulations such as Nutrient Broth; beef extract naturally contains vitamins and minerals; fish peptone is a marine-sourced alternative.

Meat peptone, beef peptone and bacteriological peptone are enzymatic hydrolysates of animal tissue protein. With a broad peptide range and more sulphur amino acids, they were the first class of nitrogen source used in microbiology, and classic general-purpose formulations such as Nutrient Broth and Nutrient Agar are simply peptone plus beef extract.

Beef extract is not a protein hydrolysate but a concentrated aqueous extract of meat, supplying water-soluble vitamins, minerals, nucleotides and a small amount of peptides to cover the growth factors peptone lacks. Fish peptone is made from fish protein, with an amino acid profile close to meat, and is an alternative when bovine or porcine sources are to be avoided.

This page lists the meat peptones, bacteriological peptones, beef extracts and fish peptones supplied by STBIO MEDIA. For animal-derived products that must be Halal, choose the certified versions whose code ends in H.

How to choose

Preparing Nutrient Broth or Nutrient Agar to a pharmacopoeia or standard method: bacteriological peptone plus beef extract.
Fastidious organisms and clinical media: meat peptone combined with casein or yeast sources for broader nutrition.
If bovine and porcine sources must be avoided but animal nitrogen is still wanted: fish peptone.
Halal markets: choose the H-suffixed certified versions; certificate details are on the product page.
No animal content at all: look at soy, plant or yeast peptones instead.

Filter by organism and requirements in the selector

Products in this group

Beef and meat peptones and extracts

Beef and meat sources; the traditional nitrogen source for fastidious organisms and nutrient media

Bacteriological and general peptones

General-purpose peptones for diluents and routine media

Fish peptones

A marine animal nitrogen source, common for aquaculture and marine organisms

Gelatin peptones and collagen

From gelatin and collagen, with a high proportion of glycine and proline

Frequently asked questions

01Can beef extract and meat peptone replace each other?

No, they play different roles. Peptone supplies the main nitrogen as peptides and amino acids; extract supplies vitamins, minerals and other growth factors. Classic formulations use both, and without the extract many fastidious organisms will not grow.

02How can animal-derived peptones be Halal?

In Halal-certified versions, the raw material source and handling are audited by the certifying body to meet Halal requirements. STBIO products whose code ends in H belong to this group; certificates are on the certifications page and each product page.