Skin (Pig)
Bullet Blender® homogenization protocol

  • Extract molecules (DNA, RNA, protein, chemicals)
  • Wet final product
  • Sample sizes: 25 to 75 mg.

Notes on the protocol: This protocol will homogenize the sample sufficiently to allow extraction of proteins, nucleic acids, etc. There may be residual shreds of connective tissue. If a perfectly smooth homogenate is required, you should consider pre-incubating with collagenase.

Materials Required

uL

One of these Bullet Blenders

  • Bullet Blender 5E (BBY5E)
  • Bullet Blender 5 Gold (BB5E-AU)

Reagents

Homogenization buffer
5 x volume of sample
Collagenase, Type 2 (optional)
0 x volume of sample

Bead choices

  • 5.6 mm stainless steel UFO beads (SSUFO56) use 3 beads

Procedure

  1. Cut the sample into appropriately sized pieces. For larger samples, we recommend cutting the material into long, thin strips for faster homogenization.
  2. Add the sample, buffer and beads to the tube in the amounts shown above. Sample volume may be approximated by sample weight.
  3. Close the tubes tightly and place them in the Bullet Blender.
  4. Set the controls for Speed 16 and Time 10. Press Start.
  5. After the run, remove the tubes from the instrument and visually inspect the samples. If homogenization is incomplete, homogenize for another 5 minutes.
  6. Proceed with your downstream application.