Australia's Science Forum

Hi All
We are getting back into dissections here.

My butcher told me he is expecting eyes, livers and plucks etc in the next week or so and he will give me a ring when they come in. I know to freeze eyes in dilute salt solution. Had no problems with frozen kidneys.

Are there any tips for freezing things like plucks which teachers really prefer fresh.

Can you help, please?

Rita

forgive my ignorance but whats a pluck?

A pluck is a set of lungs with a heart and liver still attached sometimes they also have the kidneys.
You are able to see where all the blood vessels connect where the trachea and bronchi are, you can even put a tube down the trachea into the lungs and inflate them. They really are very cool!!

Oh my - would my butcher where i get everything else be bale to do this for me?

Doesn't sound like it would be a goodo ne to freeze......

We've got eyes coming up this week....i'll get them fresh on the morning of the prac on the way to work. (butcher opens at 7am)
I have also set up a laminated sign with instructions to the students as they will be finsished after I got home friday. I am VERY specific about what to do in terms of warpping and throwing out, and soaking.....
Thank goodness it is not summer.....

I freeze my pluck ( thats with a "P" I tell my butcher ! ) and defrost to demonstrate then refreeze....never had a problem with it.

i freeze my plucks also, never had a problem just defrost the day before. Teachers have never complained

I have never frozen plucks. Our little fridge/freezer wouldnt be big enough!
As to frozen eyes - my teachers will not accept them - fresh is the only way they will use them.....
sssshhhhhh .. they do not know it but my butcher freezes them for me, and defrosts them the night before I pick them up...

The rest - I have no problem with - I get extra kidneys from Woolworths and freeze for those teachers who aren't organised enough to order them.

I once asked a butcher if he had any brains; won't do that again.

I once asked my butcher (who must be hard of hearing) if I could have a pluck, wont be doing that again either.

I order my body bite for the year and freeze them in class sets and have never had any problems

I took a pluck, eyeballs ,hearts & kidney's out of the freezer last night for dissections this morning. No problem with any of it,
I know some of the teachers would prefer the eyes fresh, which is fine if they would do the prac when they order it, not 2 weeks later!!

Thought maybe you had finally had enough of someone and were trying to hide them )

They say a frozen leg of lamb is the perfect murder weapon... Hit the victim over the head with it, then defrost, cook and eat the lamb. Voila! no evidence!

Yes Loopy - as per Roald Dahl's story

I often freeze specimens without any detriment, sometimes eyes get a bit soft. Recently I have had a lot of trouble actually getting eyes as the butchers tell me the heads they recieve have already had the eyes removed. Is this just a Sydney thing ? I asked around many of the the local schools and all seem to be having the same problem. Last time we bought preserved eyes from Southern Biological which worked quite well.

You can't get cows/bulls eyes anymore due to health reasons (BSE in particular) but we usually can get pigs eyes without too much trouble. Just have to give enough notice for them to collect them.

I always freeze my plucks, then defrost overnight in the fridge, and extra bit of room temp defrosting the next morning just to warm up a little.
never have a problem.

We are up to pluck stage in the topic... students love it!

i also freeze eyeballs in a saline solution so when i had to freeze a pluck for the first time i did so also in a saline solution. it was some time before it was needed and when defrosted was perfect. i dont know if it was the saline or whether it would have been perfect anyway but have always continued with the saline just in case.
i dont worry about the other organs though, just freeze them as they are

Hi all,

I know this is an old topic but I need to freeze some eyes for an assessment task that is a few weeks off and was just wondering what % of saline solution you freeze the eyes in?

Do you need to soak them for any length of time in the saline before freezing?

Thanks
Lorrae

Hi Rae,
I usually freeze eyes( when I can get them!!)in Normal Saline(0.9%) and freeze in takeaway containers, lens towards the bottom of the container. I was told that helps to keep the lens clear.
Jodie