A chilled incubator is a specialized laboratory equipment that keeps cells and tissues in optimal conditions. It includes maintaining regulated temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, and more.
Incubators are essential for the growth of microbial cultures that require precise control over these environmental factors. It allows you to collect accurate results.
Increased Efficiency
Incubation temperatures must be maintained at an optimal temperature range, humidity, and CO2 for tissue and cell cultures to grow successfully. It requires constant monitoring of these conditions and frequent calibration and validation.
In addition, incubators are known as energy hogs. To mitigate this, researchers should choose low-wattage incubators or use energy-efficient methods to maintain chamber temperatures.
Several low-cost models on the market offer a range of features that help researchers to prevent contamination, including UV sanitization and high-heat decontamination cycles. Some also provide HEPA filters and other filtration media to reduce microorganism growth on surfaces or inside the chamber.
Reduced Risk of Contamination
When you use a chilled incubator for your laboratory experiments, the risk of contamination is reduced significantly. It reduces the risk of unwanted bacteria, proteins, and other molecules entering your samples.
You can also protect your personnel and the samples with appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves, hairnets, lab coats, or close-toed shoes. It can reduce the risk of contamination from the individual’s skin and clothing that touches the cell culture vessels or the incubator chamber.
Another vital step in reducing contamination risk is installing the incubator in a clean area. It includes keeping the incubator away from hoods and water baths.
Increased Reliability
A refrigerator incubator is essential for conducting experiments requiring precise control over temperature, humidity, and other environmental factors. In addition, many incubators have data-logging capabilities that can help you monitor the conditions inside the chamber over time.
Having these records can be very helpful for assessing the reliability of your experiment. Reliability is the extent to which a test’s results are consistent from one test to the next regarding random and systematic errors.
Reliability can be estimated using many methods, including test-retest, internal consistency, and parallel-test reliability. Each method assesses how much of the variability in a test’s scores are due to random errors and how much is due to the underlying concept being measured.
Increased Flexibility
Incubators used in laboratory experiments need to be able to maintain a temperature that is suitable for the culture they are culturing. A deviation of a few degrees could inhibit growth or eradicate the culture.
For this reason, choosing an incubator that is reliable and easy to operate is vital. Some units offer temperature and humidity monitoring capabilities; others allow for remote control of critical features like the power outlet or alarms.
Incubators can be found in various sizes and capacities, from small benchtop models to large walk-in units. Consider the size and power of your laboratory before deciding on an incubator.
Increased Safety
For various laboratory experiments, incubators control the temperature, humidity, and CO2 level. Whether you want to grow bacteria, cells, or other microorganisms, these chambers are essential for keeping them in their ideal conditions for an extended period.
Temperature is crucial for growth, and if you are using a chilled incubator, it will help to keep the internal temperature stable. It can prevent a range of ill effects, including inhibition of growth or destruction of cultures.
The temperature set points in your incubator should be maintained at a specific range; if they deviate from this, you could waste time and money. To avoid this, you should use a second thermometer to check that the unit is operating correctly.
