The Lab Associates media preparators have been developed with over 30 years of experience in the field of plant tissue culture. Some of the largest PTC laboratories in the world are using it to gain a competitive advantage. Our new steam-driven ‘Premium’ model is the fastest and most reliable large-volume media preparator on the market with its very short cycle time of only 30 minutes on a stand-alone basis¹.
The main difference between media preparators and autoclaves is that the media sterilization process of a media preparator only takes one cycle of heating up and cooling down, where the process of an autoclave takes two cycles (first to dissolve agar in the water and other ingredients; second to sterilize the agar medium).
Vitamins and minerals are thermolabile, which means that the longer they are heated above a temperature of circa 60 degrees Celsius, the less there will be left in the medium. This is because vitamins and minerals will be broken down by the heat. A second disadvantage of a long heating process is that sugars will caramelize, which also compromises the quality of your medium.
Caramelization of sugars and the effects of thermolability of vitamins and minerals are not only a disadvantage of autoclaves, but also of slow media preparators. A standard preparator takes around two to three hours to fully sterilize a large volume of agar medium. The new Lab Associates ‘Premium’ steam-driven media preparators take (on a standalone basis) only 30 minutes to complete the sterilization process, so considerably less grow stimulators will be lost. This will result in a very high quality agar medium, which will be much better for your plantlets. Research has shown that a very fast sterilized medium will not only increase the resistance against diseases of your plantlets, but will also reduce the growth cycle time of some and increase the multiplication factor of others.
The Lab Associates media preparators are very water and energy efficient, durable, reliable and built with only high quality components, that are very well balanced for optimal performance. They are also adjustable to every circumstance; every type of power supply and groundwater with different temperatures and salination.
During operation, the vessel will be held in constant overpressure to prevent contamination from outside the vessel. Another measure to prevent contamination is its magnetic stirring system; no opening with mechanical seal is required in the bottom or lid. When the sterilization process is finished, the medium will be transported to a dispensing unit, using sterile compressed air.
¹Cycle time from 60° C, 15 minutes of sterilization at 121° C and back to 60° C.
