Insects (light and hard)
Bullet Blender® homogenization protocol

  • Extract molecules (DNA, RNA, protein, chemicals)
  • Wet final product
  • Sample sizes: up to 150 mg.

Notes on the protocol: This protocol may be used with any insects that are chitinous and/or light for their volume. The dry grinding step is used to break the exoskeleton and prevent the sample from floating on the buffer surface.

Materials Required

uL

One of these Bullet Blenders

  • Bullet Blender (BBX24)
  • Bullet Blender Blue (BBX24B)
  • Bullet Blender Storm 24 (BBY24M)
  • Bullet Blender 24 Gold (BB24-AU)

Reagents

Homogenization buffer
2 x volume of sample

Bead choices

  • GREEN bead lysis kit (GREEN)

Procedure

  1. Place the sample in the tube with the beads.
  2. Close the tubes tightly and place them in the Bullet Blender.
  3. Set the controls for Speed 12 and Time 3. Press Start.
  4. After the run, remove the tubes from the instrument. Add a volume of buffer that is twice the volume of the sample.
  5. Return the tubes to the Bullet Blender.
  6. Set the controls for Speed 10 and Time 3. Press Start.
  7. After the run, remove the tubes from the instrument and visually inspect the samples. If homogenization is incomplete, repeat the homogenization step at a higher speed.
  8. Proceed with your downstream application.