Lyophilised vs reconstituted peptides

The same compound behaves differently depending on whether it is a dry powder or a solution. Knowing which form you are working with, and why, makes storage and handling decisions much easier.

Lyophilised (freeze-dried)

Lyophilisation removes water from a frozen sample under vacuum, leaving a dry powder. Because the water is gone, most degradation pathways that depend on water are slowed dramatically. This is why the powder is the form that ships and the form that keeps best.

• Most stable form
• Best kept cold, dry, dark and sealed
• Stable for the longest period before reconstitution

Reconstituted (in solution)

Once dissolved, the material is in a form you can measure and use, but it is also a form in which hydrolysis, oxidation and aggregation proceed. The solution is a working state, not a storage state.

• Ready to use immediately
• Less stable than the powder
• Needs cold storage, protection from light, and avoidance of repeated freeze-thaw

When to reconstitute

Reconstitute as close to use as practical, and only the amount you need. Material left as powder keeps better than the same material left in solution, so reconstituting "just in case" trades away shelf life for no benefit.

Moving between the two

• Powder to solution: let the vial warm to room temperature, then add solvent and swirl gently. See reconstituting research peptides.
• Solution back to storage: there is no simple route back to the dry form in a normal laboratory, so plan your volumes before you start.

Recording which form you used

Because the two forms behave differently, note in your records whether a result used powder or reconstituted material, and when the solution was made. That single detail often explains an otherwise puzzling difference between runs.

Our peptides ship lyophilised, with the certificate for each batch on the lab test results page. For storage detail, see storing lyophilised research peptides, and for why form and batch matter to results, purity and reproducibility.