CO2 Incubator – How does It Work?

CO2 Incubator – How does It Work?

Such a device is a container where the conditions for the existence of cells are maintained as close as possible to natural ones. That means that the temperature inside the device will be high, the level of carbon dioxide and moisture will be also high.

How does a CO2 Incubator Work?

CO2 incubators work by introducing CO2 gas into a chamber which is heated and humidified while at the same time monitoring the atmosphere continuously. The gas gets dissolved in the culture media and reacts with the buffer in the media (sodium bicarbonate) to maintain the pH level at around 7.2 to 7.4. Failure to do so would cause the media to become alkaline and affect cell growth.

There are two major sensor types: infrared and thermal conductivity. Infrared sensors are not usually affected by humidity and door opening while thermal conductivity sensors are usually cheaper although they are subject to drift due to changes in humidity. There are two types of heating methods: water jacketed and direct air jacketed.

Water Jacket vs. Air Jacket: What Should You Have?

Water jacket units use heated water to encase the chamber and maintain constant temperature even during power outage. Air jacket units heat up the chamber walls and have quicker recovery after door opening. There is no better option in general terms. Your choice will depend on frequency of door opening and power supply stability.

There is an important consideration that is usually omitted in manuals. Consider the traffic in your lab, not only the technical characteristics. Incubator used by several people and opened thirty times a day is much different from the one used by one person.

Common Mistakes that Sabotage Culture

The first and most common mistake is taking the display for its word without verifying it. What the sensor sees is displayed and not what your cells are experiencing. With a handheld CO2 gas analyzer, you can detect CO2 drifts before it starts affecting your cells.

Contamination is the second mistake. When the humidity pan is not tended to, mold grows and infects the whole system. Use sterile distilled water and clean the inside with laboratory-approved disinfectants. Most culture chambers have a high heat sterilization cycle that you should utilize between projects.

Overcrowding the shelves is the third mistake. If there are too many flasks, there won’t be enough air circulation and cold spots will occur, making one shelf’s culture different from another one’s.

How to Pick the Right CO2 Incubator

It starts with the definition of the volume and role of the incubator rather than its model from the website. First of all, count how many flasks and Petri dishes do you cultivate at one time and whether you would prefer to have an incubator with low oxygen level for hypoxia study. Are CO2 incubators worth of their price and maintenance? Definitely yes, if the lab uses mammalian cells.

There are some problems related to CO2 incubators; they need proper maintenance, calibration and constant CO2 supply. Care about your CO2 incubator as about a living being and make sure that its readings are accurate.

Bionics Scientific Technologies is a leading laboratory and scientific equipment manufacturer based in India