What is this medium used for?
Nutrient agar is a general-purpose, nutrient medium used for the cultivation of microbes. It is frequently used for isolation and purification of cultures. As we are using it here, it can also be used as a means for producing the bacterial lawns needed for antibiotic sensitivity tests. In actuality, antibiotic sensitivity testing is typically performed on media specially formulated for that purpose.
What is the content of this medium?
Nutrient agar consists of heat-stable digestive products of proteins (called peptones) and beef extract. Both of these provide amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients used by a wide variety of bacteria for growth. In addition, it contains agar as a solidifying agent.