Disinfection of materials and tools is an important component of day-to-day work in the research and medical fields. Hot air sterilization is one method of effectively killing microbes of all kinds, especially bacteria, viruses and molds on heat-resistant materials. Contamination control during the incubation of cell cultures in a CO₂ incubator is of the greatest importance. To guarantee sterile conditions, our unit offers an auto-sterilization program, which sterilizes the empty chamber with air heated to 180 °C and can be used to create an ideal growth environment for cell or tissue samples. Our hot air sterilization program is based on DIN 58947 and ensures that the incubation chamber is disinfected at a temperature of at least 180 degrees Celsius. Our Anti-Plenum Design series of products is exceptionally well suited to practical application; the CO₂ incubator stands out because of its simple, convenient operation in medical practices and research facilities.
Systematically preventing contamination
Especially in regenerative medicine (tissue engineering), contamination with spores, viruses and bacteria always represents an immediate risk to the patient. Accordingly, effective contamination control is crucial. Multiple factors are involved in minimizing the risk of contamination in our BINDER CO₂ incubators with Anti-Plenum Design. Regular spray-and-wipe disinfection is made easy and safe with the seamless inner chamber design without fixtures. Hiding places and colonization surfaces for contaminants, such as the spread of airborne germs due to unnecessarily strong air currents, are also avoided throughout the design. In addition, the automatic sterilization program provides complete disinfection of the entire inner chamber at the press of a button. Finally, the Permadry humidification system with targeted recondensation in the inner pan prevents any condensation on the inner walls or corners, which effectively suppresses the formation of breeding grounds for contaminants.
We offer two models of CO₂ incubators. The BINDER standard CO₂ incubator is ideally suited for routine applications and is used in research as well as biotechnology and clinics. The chamber has a stainless steel inner chamber in which hot air sterilization takes place at 180 °C. The partial pressure of oxygen can be controlled by means of the O₂ or N₂ gas supply using an additional control loop as needed. A sterilizable zirconium oxide sensor (ZrO2) reacts quickly and reliably to report the O₂ measurement.
Advantages of hot-air sterilization
Various decontamination methods are used in CO₂ incubators:
- Dry heat at 180 °C
- Moist heat at 90 °C
- Hydrogen peroxide gassing
- HEPA filter
- Copper surfaces
Among these, hot air sterilization at 180 °C is the only method that meets the strict requirements of the wide range of pharmacopoeias in the medical and pharmaceutical industries and thereby offers the greatest possible safety. The hot air sterilization process is also safe and economical.
CO₂ incubators with hot-air sterilization >
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