Amber Ong | Sales Manager

The Importance of Eliminating Contaminants in Cell Cultures

THE CHALLENGES OF DECONTAMINATION

Decontamination is crucial, especially in microbiology laboratories. After all, if it is not ensured that surfaces are kept germ-free and clean at all times, cross-contamination can occur, contaminating samples and leading to inaccurate results.

But how can the decontamination routine for incubators and incubator shakers in the laboratory be ensured?

Daily cleaning and regular disinfection are important to prolong the life of the system and reduce the risk of contamination.

CLEANING ROUTINE FOR INCUBATORS AND INCUBATOR SHAKERS:

Daily routine to remove unwanted residue or spilled samples using a damp cloth and a mild household or laboratory detergent. This can help to clean the surface and reduce microbial contamination.

DISINFECTION PROCESS FOR GERM-FREE SURFACES

Important for inactivating or destroying disease-causing microorganisms. The incubators and shaking incubators of the IKA INC 125 series offer an integrated decontamination mode, which is particularly interesting for microbiological laboratories and for quality control.
Procedure: Remove the shaker platform (if present) and activate the decontamination mode in the device menu. When the decontamination function is activated, the appliance performs a hot air decontamination at 120 °C for 2.5 hours.

DETAILS ON GERM REDUCTION AND TEST VERIFICATION

The germ reduction is as follows:

test species	% red	Log RF
Enterococcus faecium	99.9999	6.000
Aspergillus brasiliensis (spores)	> 99.9998	> 5.792
Escherichia coli	> 99.9957	> 4.368
phi 6	> 99.9870	> 3.881
Geobacillus stearothermophilus (spores)	96.9939	1.522