Lyophilisation
Freeze-drying process used to stabilise peptides as a dry powder.
For laboratory and research use only — not for human consumption.
Lyophilisation removes water from a frozen peptide preparation under vacuum, leaving a porous solid that is far more stable than the aqueous form. Most research peptides ship lyophilised in sealed glass vials; they are reconstituted in the laboratory with bacteriostatic or sterile water immediately before use. Properly lyophilised peptides stored at -20 °C in their original sealed vial are generally stable for 1-3 years. Reconstituted peptides have much shorter useful lives — typically days to weeks at refrigerator temperature, longer if frozen at -80 °C in single-use aliquots. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are a common cause of unexplained loss of activity in pre-clinical work.