Corn Meal Agar is a well established mycological medium which is a suitable substrate for chlamydospore production by Candida albicans and the maintenance of fungal stock cultures.

The corn meal in the medium provides carbon, nitrogen, and vitamins required for organism growth, while agar is the solidifying agent of the medium. Corn Meal Agar stimulates sporulation in C. albicans, and can aid in suppressing other fungal growth. This is a very simple formulation containing only cornmeal infusion and agar. However this infusion has enough nutrients to enhance the growth of fungi.

Candida albicans is the etiological agent in candidiasis, which can range from a mild to severe infection of skin, nails, and mucous membranes. One of the most important differential characteristics of C. albicans is the ability to form chlamydospores on certain media. Corn Meal Agar stimulates sporulation of C. albicans, and is useful in suppressing certain other fungal growth. Chlamydospore production is an important diagnostic characteristic used in the identification of C. albicans.