{"id":3541,"date":"2025-03-12T13:19:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/?p=3541"},"modified":"2025-03-06T13:26:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T13:26:23","slug":"choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bioreactors are the workhorses of many labs, creating the ideal controlled environments for cultivating cells, fermentation, regulating biochemical reactions, and the like. But between experiments, this device needs thorough sterilization to prevent contamination. Reusable bioreactors present unique sterilization challenges that demand careful consideration and the right equipment.<\/p>\n

Bioreactors are Porous Loads\u2014and Tricky to Sterilize<\/h2>\n

Bioreactors are complex, which makes them tough to reliably clean. It isn\u2019t simply that they can be constructed from a variety of materials\u2014stainless steel, glass, and different types of plastics\u2014but they also have many nooks, crannies, and narrow passages. This makes your bioreactor a classic \u201cporous load.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPorous loads\u201d<\/i><\/b> is a category that encompasses a range of materials, such textiles, narrow plastic tubes, oddly shaped vessels, and many waste loads. What these all have in common is that the load has small or complex airways. These airways create baffles that steam has trouble navigating. Bioreactors fall into this category.<\/p>\n

Tests indicate that a standard 20 minute autoclave gravity cycle (that is, one with no vacuum stages) will not effectively sterilize a bioreactor (i.e., raise the entire load to 121\u00baC and hold it at that temperature for at least 15 minutes). During a standard gravity cycle, most<\/i> surfaces and areas of the bioreactor reached sterilization temperatures of 121\u00baC for at least 15 minutes. Unfortunately, the bioreactor vessel itself only reached 121\u00baC for a few minutes\u2014not long enough to ensure sterilization. The narrow thermowell never got to sterilization temperatures at all.<\/p>\n

Bioreactors Need an Autoclave with Vacuum Options<\/h2>\n

As is the case with most porous loads, adding \u201cvacuum stages\u201d to the sterilization cycle helps enormously<\/a>. By drawing a partial vacuum in the chamber at the beginning of the cycle, and then \u201cpulsing\u201d this vacuum as steam enters the chamber, the autoclave churns the air and steam in the chamber, forcing steam through the load and into narrow channels and deep containers. This effectively ensures even steam contact throughout the bioreactor.<\/p>\n

Given the complexity of a bioreactor and the many opportunities to create cold pockets that lock steam away from surfaces, we recommend several vacuum pulses, in addition to pulsed freesteaming. Using three pre-cycle vacuum pulses virtually guarantees successful sterilization. During his tenure at California State University, Fullerton, Philip Berriman tested various autoclave practices and noted that \u201cPriorclaves are better than most when you use the freesteaming, especially if you use pulsed freesteaming. It does a good job of mixing the air up in there and reliably heating the entire load.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider a Vertical Top-Loading Autoclave<\/h2>\n

In North America, front-loading horizontal autoclaves are the standard. But it\u2019s usually a struggle to load a bioreactor into a front-loader\u2014even more so if the vessel contains any media. A \u201cslant rack\u201d can help, but often not much:<\/p>\n

\"Diagram<\/p>\n

As Priorclave Managing Director Tony Collins notes: \u201cTo accommodate bioreactors in front loaders without laying them down, you would need a tall autoclave chamber that most likely would be as wide as it is tall. In most cases, that\u2019s going to be an expensive autoclave to purchase, take up more space in the lab, and be more expensive to run. Especially when you consider that you\u2019re going to be running it mostly empty, just to accommodate that tall bioreactor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tony urges North American labs to consider an option popular with many of their colleagues overseas: a vertical top-loading autoclave<\/a>. \u201cThese have the advantage of being able to accommodate tall items such as bioreactors with a very small footprint,\u201d Tony explains. \u201cWith the optional Loadlite hoist<\/a>, you can get the most cumbersome bioreactor into the tallest autoclave without strain.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Priorclave, our goal is always to match every lab with the autoclave that will best serve their needs. Ready to discuss what you\u2019re trying to accomplish? Contact us<\/a> to start a conversation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bioreactors are the workhorses of many labs, creating the ideal controlled environments for cultivating cells, fermentation, regulating biochemical reactions, and the like. But between experiments, this device needs thorough sterilization […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":3542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[320],"tags":[24,611,74,612,417],"class_list":["post-3541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lab-design","tag-autoclave","tag-bioreactors","tag-lab-practices","tag-slant-rack","tag-steam-sterilization"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChoosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bioreactors are the workhorses of many labs, creating the ideal controlled environments for cultivating cells, fermentation, regulating biochemical reactions, and the like. But between experiments, this device needs thorough sterilization […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Priorclave - United States\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-12T13:19:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"887\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"679\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Priorclave North America\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Priorclave North America\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Priorclave North America\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b31c12dd95522a519b919985d6ce760\"},\"headline\":\"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-12T13:19:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":642,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"autoclave\",\"bioreactors\",\"lab practices\",\"slant rack\",\"steam sterilization\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lab Design\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/\",\"name\":\"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-12T13:19:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b31c12dd95522a519b919985d6ce760\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg\",\"width\":887,\"height\":679,\"caption\":\"moss bioreactor at ReskiLab, University of Freiburg source: https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/File:Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/12\\\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/\",\"name\":\"Priorclave - United States\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8b31c12dd95522a519b919985d6ce760\",\"name\":\"Priorclave North America\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ddd164285c295da8fea40f7681fa8d17154184cce1ab962d04b0178d94f9e445?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ddd164285c295da8fea40f7681fa8d17154184cce1ab962d04b0178d94f9e445?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ddd164285c295da8fea40f7681fa8d17154184cce1ab962d04b0178d94f9e445?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Priorclave North America\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.priorclave.com\\\/en-us\\\/author\\\/dnelson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization","og_description":"Bioreactors are the workhorses of many labs, creating the ideal controlled environments for cultivating cells, fermentation, regulating biochemical reactions, and the like. But between experiments, this device needs thorough sterilization […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/","og_site_name":"Priorclave - United States","article_published_time":"2025-03-12T13:19:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":887,"height":679,"url":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Priorclave North America","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Priorclave North America","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/"},"author":{"name":"Priorclave North America","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/#\/schema\/person\/8b31c12dd95522a519b919985d6ce760"},"headline":"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization","datePublished":"2025-03-12T13:19:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/"},"wordCount":642,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg","keywords":["autoclave","bioreactors","lab practices","slant rack","steam sterilization"],"articleSection":["Lab Design"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/","url":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/","name":"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-12T13:19:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/#\/schema\/person\/8b31c12dd95522a519b919985d6ce760"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/03\/Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg","width":887,"height":679,"caption":"moss bioreactor at ReskiLab, University of Freiburg source: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bioreaktor_quer2.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/2025\/03\/12\/choosing-the-right-autoclave-for-bioreactor-sterilization\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Choosing the Right Autoclave for Bioreactor Sterilization"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/","name":"Priorclave - United States","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/#\/schema\/person\/8b31c12dd95522a519b919985d6ce760","name":"Priorclave North America","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddd164285c295da8fea40f7681fa8d17154184cce1ab962d04b0178d94f9e445?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddd164285c295da8fea40f7681fa8d17154184cce1ab962d04b0178d94f9e445?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ddd164285c295da8fea40f7681fa8d17154184cce1ab962d04b0178d94f9e445?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Priorclave North America"},"url":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/author\/dnelson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}