Storage guide · lyophilized material

Storing lyophilized peptides.

Sealed, freeze-dried peptides are stable. Four conditions keep them that way: cold, dark, dry and sealed.

Find the right temperatureCOA library

01The four conditions

Cold, dark, dry, sealed.

A dry, sealed cake changes very slowly. Each of these slows it further.

Cold

Colder is slower. −20 °C is the usual long-term condition. Avoid repeated freeze and thaw of the same vial.

Slows every change

Dark

Keep vials away from direct light. Some residues, tryptophan in particular, degrade under it.

Limits photo-oxidation

Dry

Moisture drives most change in a dry cake. Let a cold vial reach room temperature before handling it.

Limits hydrolysis

Sealed

The crimp keeps out air and moisture. Leave it intact until the vial is needed, and check it on arrival.

Keeps the air out

02Temperature

Where a vial should sit, and for how long.

The longer you plan to hold a vial, the colder it belongs. Drag the slider and watch the vial freeze.

An Aspect Peptides vial
−20°CFreezerHold: Months and longer

03Sensitivity

Some sequences need more care.

Read from each compound's own sequence. Methionine, cysteine and tryptophan oxidize. Asparagine and glutamine can deamidate when moisture gets in.

One letter per residue, from the N-terminus. Lower-case f is D-phenylalanine, Nle is norleucine.

04Condensation

Why a cold vial waits.

Bring a vial straight out of the cold and the moisture in the room settles on the glass. Give it time to reach room temperature first, and that moisture has nowhere to go.

  1. −20 °COut of the cold
  2. WarmingMoisture settles on the glass
  3. Room temperatureClear, and ready to handle
An Aspect Peptides vial

05At a glance

Do, and avoid.

Do

  • Move vials somewhere cold when they arrive
  • Keep them upright, away from light
  • Let a cold vial reach room temperature before handling it
  • Keep the crimp seal intact until the vial is needed
  • Note the lot number and arrival date

!Avoid

  • !
    Repeated freeze and thawEach cycle can draw in moisture. Store the vial once and leave it.
  • !
    Light and heatA window sill, a car or a warm shelf speeds degradation.
  • !
    Frost-free freezersTheir defrost cycles warm the contents.
  • !
    Broken or loose sealsIf a vial arrives damaged, tell us and we will make it right.

06On arrival

Two checks before storage.

An Aspect Peptides vial with its dry white cake visible through the glass

The seal and the cake

The crimp should be intact and the cap seated flat. The material should be a dry cake or powder.

Shipping and returns

The certificate

Every lot has its own record. Check that the lot on your vial matches it before it goes in the cold.

Verify a batch

General practice for lyophilized material, not a protocol. Follow your institution's procedures. Aspect does not provide guidance on preparing or using these materials, which are sold for in-vitro laboratory research only.