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Clean Streaks and Accurate Counts, No Bunsen Burner Needed
A wire loop means flaming, cooling, waiting, and hoping you did not spatter aerosol across the bench. MTC Bio sterile disposable loops and needles skip all of that. Open the pack, streak or inoculate, and drop the used tool in the biohazard bin.
Every loop head is molded smooth, with no flashing or burrs, so it glides across agar without cutting or gouging. The hexagonal shaft gives you a firm grip and lets you feel exactly how the loop is oriented. Choose 1, 5, or 10 µL loops in flexible polypropylene, rigid polystyrene loops, or rigid needles for stab and subsurface inoculation.
Sterile
Pre-sterilized, single use
No Flame
No heating or cool-down wait
Hex Grip
Easy to hold and orient
1 · 5 · 10 µL
Loops, plus rigid needles
Why Labs Choose MTC Bio Inoculating Loops
No Cross-Contamination
Each loop is used once and thrown away, so nothing carries over between samples.
Smooth, Burr-Free Heads
Clean molding means no cutting or gouging of the agar surface.
Hexagonal Shaft
A grip that will not roll in your fingers or off the bench.
Flexible or Rigid
Flexible PP for gentle streaking, rigid PS for precise patterns and dense samples.
Three Loop Sizes
1 µL, 5 µL, and 10 µL for streaking, counts, and serial dilutions.
Three Pack Styles
Peel bags of 20, resealable easy-access bags, or individually wrapped.
Flexible or Rigid: Which Loop Should You Choose?
Flexible polypropylene loops (M4015, M4035, M4025) bend slightly as you work. That makes them easier to maneuver inside Petri dishes and tubes, and gentler on small or delicate colonies. Most labs use them for everyday streaking.
Rigid polystyrene loops and needles (M4017, M4027, M4030) hold their shape, which gives you tighter control over streak patterns when isolating single colonies. They also handle viscous or dense samples better, and the rigid needle is the tool for stab cultures and subsurface inoculation.
Choose Your Packaging
Sterile Peel Bags
Catalog No.: Base number, e.g. M4015
Pack: 50 peel bags of 20 (1,000 total)
Best for: High-volume benches that use a bag per session
Easy-Access Bags (-TB)
Catalog No.: Add -TB, e.g. M4015-TB
Pack: 50 bags of 20 (1,000 total)
Best for: Zip closure or tear-seam, so you can take a few and reseal the rest
Individually Wrapped (-W)
Catalog No.: Add -W, e.g. M4015-W
Pack: 1,000 single sterile wraps
Best for: Clinical, QC, and field work where every loop must stay sterile until use
Resealable Bags Keep the Rest Sterile
The -TB easy-access bags open with a tear-seam or zip closure, so you can pull out a few loops and close the bag again. It cuts waste compared with opening a full peel bag for one or two plates.
Keep your bench organized with a BenchBin™ benchtop biohazard bin for used loops, and collect larger waste in our autoclave and biohazard bags.
Typical Applications
- Streak plates for colony isolation
- Urine colony counts
- Serial dilutions and quantitative sampling
- Broth-to-plate and plate-to-broth transfers
- Stab and subsurface inoculation (needles)
- Food, water, and environmental microbiology
- Teaching labs without open flames
- QC and clinical microbiology
Tip for Better Colony Isolation
Use a fresh loop for each quadrant of a four-quadrant streak. Dragging a used loop back into the first quadrant is the most common reason plates grow a lawn instead of single colonies. For spread plates, pair these with our sterile L-, T-, and triangle spreaders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are MTC Bio loops a good alternative to Fisherbrand™ or Copan disposable inoculating loops?
Yes, for most applications. They are sterile, single-use loops and needles in 1, 5, and 10 µL sizes, with smooth burr-free heads and a hexagonal grip, in flexible or rigid plastic. Fisherbrand™ and Copan are trademarks of their respective owners; Blue Tiger Scientific is not affiliated.
What is the difference between flexible PP and rigid PS loops?
Flexible polypropylene loops bend slightly, which makes them easier to use in tight spaces and gentler on delicate colonies. Rigid polystyrene loops hold their shape for precise streak patterns and handle viscous samples better.
Which loop size should I use?
1 µL loops are standard for urine colony counts and fine streaking. 10 µL loops pick up more material for inoculating broths and heavier transfers. 5 µL sits in between.
What is the needle used for?
The rigid needle is used for stab cultures, subsurface inoculation of agar deeps, and picking single colonies.
Do I need to flame these loops?
No. They come pre-sterilized for single use. Use each loop once and discard it as biohazard waste.
What do -TB and -W mean in the catalog number?
-TB means easy-access resealable bags of 20 with a zip closure or tear-seam. -W means each loop is individually wrapped. The base number is 50 sterile peel bags of 20. Every option is 1,000 loops.
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