Cell Cultivation Without Contamination: How Does the CO₂ Incubator Help?

When working with cell cultures, contamination is a common problem that can have serious consequences. The CO₂ incubator plays a key role here. A well-designed unit can make an important contribution to minimizing the risk of contamination.

Contamination – Risk for Cell Cultures

Microbial contaminants are often not discovered until late in the process because they are not necessarily associated with the visible overgrowth of the cultured cells. In extreme cases, a single germ can nullify weeks or months of research.

The paths for the introduction of contamination are many. They range from the use of undetected contaminated cell lines, media, serums or other reagents to airborne germs, improperly disinfected equipment, to transmission from laboratory staff themselves. Because identifying the presence of germs is often time-consuming and expensive, effective measures must be taken to control contamination.

The highest standards are imposed on the perfection and reliability of the entire process cycle, in which the CO₂ incubator plays a central role.

BINDER CO₂ incubators are designed to reduce the risk of contamination to a minimum.

BINDER Anti-Contamination Concept

Creating a sterile environment for living cell cultures inside the CO₂ incubator is technical challenge because the optimal growth conditions for a cell culture favor the proliferation of undesirable microorganisms at the same time.

The following are fundamental aspects of the BINDER anti-contamination concept:

Seamless interior: The interior must remain clean during cell cultivation. A common and important method for reducing the total bacterial count, i.e. the microbial load in the CO₂ incubator, is regular spray-wipe disinfection. It must be possible to do this without any problems. The deep-drawn, seamless stainless steel inner chamber and the rounded corners in the interior ensure that BINDER CO₂ incubators are easy to clean. Thanks to the rounded flanges that serve as a shelf support system, there are no corners where hidden contamination could accumulate.
180°C hot air sterilization: A simple and effective sterilization process that removes all sources of contamination at regular intervals, or as needed, is required to completely eliminate possible contaminants. The 180°C hot air sterilization process in BINDER CO₂ incubators reliably kills bacteria and spores so that a biological reset is carried out when each individual test series is introduced.
The lack of fixtures such as air baffle plates, fans, or rack frame: These are contamination hiding places, are time-consuming to clean, and must be removed before sterilization. That is why a deliberate decision was made to do without these fixtures in BINDER CO₂ incubators.
Moisture limit: Microbes can only multiply in humid conditions. That is why condensation, a breeding ground for germs in the incubation chamber, must be prevented. The moisture limit in the BINDER CO₂ incubator prevents contamination at high humidity levels. The coldest point in the interior, the so-called cold spot, is located at the base of the chamber in the water tray. Excess moisture can condense here without settling at other points in the interior. This keeps the interior walls dry and prevents mold from forming.
Prevention of transmission of airborne germs: Even when working under cleanroom conditions, airborne germs are present to a certain extent. Since there is no fan inside the BINDER CO₂ incubator, germs are prevented from spreading in the air.

The Right Setup in the Laboratory

Alongside the CO₂ incubators themselves, the laboratory environment and the setup of the units in the laboratory play an important role in managing contamination.

What to pay attention to when installing the CO₂ incubators: