What is the appearance of the bacterial debris after centrifugation?

The appearance of bacterial debris after centrifugation is typically visible as a pellet. This pellet consists of the concentrated mass of cells that have settled at the bottom of the centrifuge tube due to the force applied during the centrifugation process. As the sample is spun, the denser components, such as the bacterial cells and any debris, are forced to the bottom, forming a compact mass. Meanwhile, the supernatant, which contains the soluble components of the mixture, remains above the pellet.

The formation of a distinct pellet is a valuable indication of successful cell lysis and separation in applications such as GFP purification, where it is crucial to isolate the protein from cellular components and debris. The presence of a clear boundary between the pellet and the supernatant allows researchers to easily separate the desired proteins from the remaining cellular material for further analysis or purification.