Calcofluor White
Calcofluor White
SUMMARY
Calcofluor White is a commonly used stain to detect fungi and yeast and other microorganisms. It is a non-specific stain which preferentially binds to chitin and cellulose in cell walls and as such is also used to visualize plant cells. Calcofluor White has extremely broad excitation/emission spectra, and as a result almost any filter set with UV or violet/blue excitation wavelengths will generate fluorescence emission which may be detected across a very broad range. Some samples will fluoresce strongly in the green wavelengths, others in the blue, and others yellow-orange. Because of this, filter selection is subjective, partly depending on the experience of the microscopist. Our filter sets 19012, 19000, and 19011 may be used successfully depending on the sample and the observer's preference. 19000 and 19012 may be used with LEDs with CWL 365-380nm; 19011 may be used with 395-410nm CWL LEDs.
