Weigh out fly food ingredients. In most cases, it will be necessary to make batches of 2 liters. Ingredients per 2 liters are as follows:

AL FOODS
Cornmeal:170g
Sugar:100g
Yeast Extract:100g
Agar:9.2g

DR FOODS
Cornmeal:170g
Sugar:100g
Yeast Extract:10g
Agar:9.2g

STOCK FOOD
Cornmeal:170g
Sugar:150g
LiveYeast:31g
Agar:9.2g

Turn on fly cooker (on/off switch is in back).
Adjust temperature to 100C.
Adjust speed to 2.
Adjust time to >20minutes.
Put pot into machine with plastic stirring paddle in place.
Add food ingredients.
Add millipore water: 85% of total desired volume (1700mL for 2 liter batch).
Put lid with plastic cap on pot.
Press ON/OFF to start machine.

Machine will beep when temperature is reached. If food is not yet boiling, let it cook a few more minutes until it is boiling (AL food takes longer than DR food).
After food has begun to boil, set temperature to 0C, remove plastic cap in lid, let stir without heat for 10 minutes.

For all foods, add propionic acid mixture: 1% of total volume (20mL for batch of 2 liters).

YE foods are ready to pour.

Stock food requires Tegosept solution: 1% of total volume (20mL for batch of 2 liters).

AL- and DR- foods require 95%ethanol: 6.846mL for batch of 2 liters.

AL+ and DR+ foods require RU486 solution: Final concentration 200uM (6.846mL for batch of 2 liters).

Let food stir for 5 minutes to mix in additives.



BULK ADDITIVE RECIPES (prepare in fume hood)

Propionic acid mixture:
1081mL millipore water
83mL o-Phosphoric Acid (Fisher Scientific A242-212)
836mL Propionic Acid (Sigma Aldrich P1386-1L)
Mix well

Tegosept mixture:
200g tegosept
2L 95% ethanol

RU486 solution:
5g mifepristone
200mL 95%ethanol

Pour food into vials by pipetting (easier for small volumes) or using Droso-filler (better for big batches).

If using Droso-filler, use the paddle to distribute food to vials that do not fill as well.


Stock vials should be about 3cm full. Stock bottles should be filled above the 50mL ridge.

Other food vials should be about 1cm full.

A 2 liter batch of food should make about 500 regular vials, 200 stock vials, or 20 stock bottles.



Let food cool in front of fan until all vials are cool to touch and no condensation is on the side of vials (about 2 hours). Racks should then be covered withplastic lid and placed on proper shelves in 4C refrigerator C or D.

Stock vials and bottles must cool inside pillow cases or under cloths to prevent contamination by loose flies. These will take longer to cool, and must be capped immediately after cooling before being placed in 4C refrigerator O.

CLEANUP


Clean up pot, lid, containers used to weigh out food, and Droso-filler immediately after use. If food cools, it will be harder to clean. All food must be cleaned off from cooking and pouring devices to prevent contaminating future batches.

For cleaning pot, be sure to check under spinning blades and in cracks in the spinning paddle. Leave pot and lid by the cooking machine.

Inside and bottom of the Droso-filler must be completely free of food following cleaning. Be sure to clear all holes, or else pouring will be harder in the future. Dry well and place on paper towels on pouring cart.

Food should never be left out of fridge overnight and should not be kept longer than 7 days.