lactophenol cotton blue stain is good for identification mold
you can prepared according to Ellis (1994) from the following ingredients:-
Cotton Blue (Aniline Blue) 0.05 g
Phenol 2 g
Glycerol 40 ml
Lactic acid 20 ml
Distilled water 20 ml
Which were prepared by dissolving the cotton blue in the distilled water, then left to stand overnight to eliminate insoluble dye. The phenol crystals was added to the lactic acid in glass beaker, and with the aid of magnetic stirrer, the phenol was dissolved, then the glycerol was added, the cotton blue was filtered into the (phenol – glycerol – lactic acid) solution, after mixing, it was stored at room temperature to be used for staining and microscopic identification of fungi.