HOW DOES A LABORATORY INCUBATOR WORK?

An incubator is a device that serves as a controlled environment for caring, maintaining and nurturing premature microbial cultures or cell cultures. We can also say it is a device used to house and care for premature living organisms.

What is the working principle of Laboratory incubators?

Since an incubator serves as a care house for microbial cultures, cell cultures or living organisms, it needs a space to house the organisms. That is usually a chamber capacity of 20 to 800  liters, with a temperature range of +5°C to +100°C. Although the breeding temperature does not usually go past 40°C. Incubators are enclosed and insulated to provide and maintain the required temperature for whichever organism the incubator is being used for.

Generally, natural convection is a more suitable option for microbiological incubators. When the space in this incubator is full, forced air is circulated which then supports the temperature within the chamber.

When it comes to incubators, hygiene is an essential requirement. Some manufacturers even sterilize inside the incubator.

What are shaker incubators?

The main part of the incubator is the shaker: An eccentric shaking system based on weights Designed for intensive work for weeks and months continuously.

What are Cooled Incubators?

Microbiology incubators typically have a normal temperature of 37°C. But, it may require temperature ranges from room temperature to sub-zero temperatures for different applications.

Cooled incubators are the most ideal incubators in case of a high ambient temperature. A cooled incubator is typically used to handle food concerns like storage and shelf-life tests. While it is used for soil germination, and for determining the biochemical oxygen requirements in environmental technology.

It is also used to cultivate different kinds of organisms like yeast, fungi, and to grow crystals (in protein biology).

The cooled incubator has different lighting to give a day-night flow.

Cooled incubators are the most ideal to use in zoology, for growing plants.