10 — Storage
Lyophilized peptide storage for receiving labs
Keep the manufacturer vial lyophilized, closed, dark, and dry at the labeled temperature until the experiment needs solvent.
Answer. Common labeled storage is −20 °C, or −80 °C if the laboratory SOP requires it. Most avoidable damage happens from moisture on a cold cake, or from treating one reconstituted vial as a working bottle.
Before the vial is opened
| Control | Laboratory practice | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Store at the labeled condition in a controlled freezer, not a frost-choked door shelf. | Freeze–thaw of the unopened vial is still a temperature cycle. |
| Moisture | Keep caps closed. Open only after the vial has approached room temperature in a dry box or desiccator. | Condensate on a cold cake starts hydrolysis and clumping. |
| Light and air | Dark storage. Minimize time with the cap off. | Oxidation of Met, Cys, and Trp begins at the headspace. |
| Location | Assigned freezer ID in the batch file. Quarantine bin until CoA and label match. | A verified batch that cannot be found is not a verified batch. |
| Opened vs unopened | Do not open a vial “to check” the cake as a receiving step. | Receiving inspects the closed container, the label, and the documents. |
After the laboratory decides to use the batch
- Keep unused vials lyophilized at the labeled condition.
- Reconstitute only what the work requires, or split immediately into single-use frozen aliquots.
- Freeze once per aliquot. Thaw once. Do not refreeze.
- Working solutions stay on ice or at bench only for the length of the assay.
This page does not assign a universal shelf life after reconstitution, a multi-puncture calendar, or a product-specific solvent volume. See also freeze–thaw and the excursion form.
Short questions
- Is a melted shipper automatic rejection?
- No. It is an excursion note. Keep the vial closed and decide with the batch file.
- Should receiving labs store opened working stocks in the refrigerator for weeks?
- Not as a default. Prefer single-use frozen aliquots.
General laboratory information for Research Use Only materials. Return to the desk.