The incubator is the main equipment for cultivating microorganisms and can be used for the cultivation and reproduction of bacteria and cells. The principle is to use artificial methods to create an artificial environment for the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, cells, and bacteria in the incubator, such as controlling certain temperatures, humidity, gases, etc. The currently used incubators are mainly divided into four types: direct electric incubators, water-resistant electric incubators, biochemical incubators, and carbon dioxide incubators.
1、 Electric and waterproof incubators
The outer shell of electric and waterproof incubators is usually made of asbestos board or iron sheet spray paint. The inner layer of waterproof incubators is a water storage layer made of purple copper sheet. The interlayer of electric incubators is made of insulation materials such as asbestos or glass wool to enhance the insulation effect. A thermometer is installed on the top of the incubator, which is automatically controlled by a temperature controller to maintain a constant temperature inside the incubator. The water-resistant incubator uses electric heating tubes to heat water, while the electric heating incubator uses electric heating wires for direct heating and utilizes air convection to achieve uniform temperature inside the incubator.
On the front side of the incubator, there are indicator lights and temperature adjustment knobs. When the power is turned on, the red indicator light is on. Rotate the knob according to the required temperature to the desired scale. When the temperature reaches the desired level, the red indicator light will turn off, indicating that the temperature inside the incubator has reached the required level. After that, the temperature inside the incubator can be controlled automatically by a reliable temperature controller.
(1) The culture inside the box should not be placed too tightly to facilitate the convection of hot air. Regardless of whether items are placed or taken out, the door should be closed casually to avoid temperature fluctuations.
(2) An electric incubator should have a container filled with water inside to maintain a certain level of humidity.
(3) Attention should be paid to adding water before powering on the isolated incubator, and the water level should be checked regularly to add water in a timely manner.
(4) When using an electric incubator, the air vent should be appropriately turned off to facilitate temperature regulation inside the incubator.
2、 Biochemical incubator
This type of incubator is equipped with both electric heating wire heating and compressor cooling. Therefore, it has a wide adaptability range and can maintain a constant temperature throughout the year, gradually becoming popular. The use and maintenance of this incubator are similar to electric incubators Due to the installation of a compressor, it is also necessary to follow the precautions for refrigerator maintenance, such as maintaining stable voltage, avoiding excessive tilting, and promptly cleaning the dust on the radiator.
3、 CO2 incubator
The carbon dioxide incubator is an improvement on the basis of ordinary cultivation, mainly capable of adding CO2 to meet the environment required for cultivating microorganisms. Mainly used for tissue culture and the cultivation of some special microorganisms.
