Investigating The Similarities Between Different Vendors' 2X YT Liquid Media

2X YT media is a traditional media that gets its name from having twice the yeast extract as the traditional lysogeny broth (LB) media. It is commonly used to culture recombinant strains of E. coli for DNA, plasmid, or protein production as the tryptone and yeast extract provide sufficient sources of carbon, nitrogen, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. 2X YT can be purchased in liquid or dried forms from many commercial sources. Therefore, different levels of the individual nutrients may be observed due to changes in the source and processing methods of the tryptone and yeast extract used in the formulation.

Here, we provide examples of how identifying variations in the expected nutrient profile before its use may prevent undesirable culture outcomes like poor growth and low productivity.