Incubators are common laboratory instruments. Frequently used types include constant-temperature incubators, constant-temperature and humidity incubators, CO2 incubators, mold incubators, and artificial climate chambers. What functions do these different instruments offer, and how do they differ?
An incubator provides a controlled environment for the in vitro culture of cells, tissues, or organisms. By maintaining suitable conditions such as temperature, humidity, lighting, and CO2 concentration, it helps reproduce the growth conditions found within a living organism or a particular environment. Incubators are widely used in plant science, biology, microbiology, genetics, virology, medicine, and environmental research for constant-temperature tests, culture experiments, and environmental testing.
1. Constant-Temperature Incubators
Constant-temperature incubators are suitable for routine bacterial culture and cell culture in closed vessels. They are also commonly used to prewarm equipment and reagents for cell culture.
Key features: Heating control without refrigeration. The operating temperature is generally above ambient temperature.
These incubators can be divided into two main types:
Water-Jacketed Incubators
Heating elements warm the water in a jacket surrounding the inner chamber. Water convection distributes heat around the chamber walls, helping maintain uniform heating. The water jacket also retains heat during a power interruption, reducing temperature fluctuations. Without refrigeration, these incubators operate above ambient temperature.
Electrically Heated Incubators
Electric heating elements heat the chamber directly, while an insulating layer helps retain heat. In models equipped with a fan, forced-air circulation improves temperature stability and uniformity.
2. Constant-Temperature and Humidity Incubators
Constant-Temperature and Humidity Incubators precisely control both temperature and humidity, allowing users to simulate controlled environmental conditions.
Key features: Accurate temperature and humidity control.
Typical applications include plant cultivation, breeding experiments, microbial culture, fermentation, constant-temperature testing, environmental testing, and studies of material changes. They may also be used to store culture media, serum, pharmaceuticals, and other materials when the selected conditions meet storage requirements.
They are widely used in healthcare research, biopharmaceutical research, agricultural science, and environmental protection.
3. Biochemical Incubators
Biochemical incubators combine heating and refrigeration, providing a broader operating temperature range. They can maintain a constant temperature throughout the year, even as room temperature changes.
Key features: Heating and cooling; humidity control and disinfection functions are generally not included in basic models.
Operation and maintenance are similar to those of electrically heated incubators, with additional care required for the refrigeration system. Maintain a stable power supply, avoid excessive tilting, and regularly remove dust from the condenser or heat-dissipation components according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Biochemical incubators are widely used in research and teaching in plant science, biology, microbiology, genetics, virology, medicine, and environmental science. Common applications include low-temperature constant-temperature tests, culture experiments, and environmental testing.
4. Mold Incubators
Mold incubators are designed for cultivating molds and other eukaryotic microorganisms. Many molds grow well at temperatures around 25°C. Whether humidity control is needed depends on the experimental requirements.
Key features: Controlled incubation temperature, with humidity control available on selected models.
These instruments are used in environmental protection, public health, agriculture, animal husbandry, pharmaceutical testing, aquaculture, research institutions, and teaching laboratories. Applications include water analysis, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) testing where the equipment meets the method requirements, bacterial and mold culture, microorganism preservation, plant cultivation, and breeding experiments. Experiments requiring agitation need a model with a shaking function.
5. CO2 Incubators
CO2 incubators create an environment that resembles the conditions required by cells and tissues within a living organism. Typical conditions for many mammalian cell cultures include a temperature of 37°C, a CO2 concentration of 5%, a culture-medium pH of approximately 7.2–7.4, and high relative humidity of around 95%. Actual settings depend on the cells and culture medium.
Key features: Precise temperature and CO2 concentration control, together with a humidified environment. Most models provide heating; some include cooling or high-temperature decontamination functions. Active humidity control depends on the model.
CO2 incubators are widely used for cell and tissue culture, as well as the culture of certain specialized microorganisms. Applications include:
- Cell kinetics research and collection of mammalian cell secretions.
- Studies of the carcinogenic or toxic effects of physical and chemical factors.
- Antigen research and production.
- Hybridoma culture for antibody production.
- In vitro fertilization (IVF), stem cell research, and tissue engineering.
- Drug screening.
CO2 regulation, together with precise microprocessor-based temperature control, helps maintain consistent culture conditions. In suitable bicarbonate-buffered media, the CO2 concentration helps regulate pH; the incubator does not directly control the pH of every culture medium.
6. Artificial Climate Chambers
Artificial climate chambers are precision environmental chambers that control lighting, temperature, and humidity, providing a simulated climate for experiments.
Key features: Lighting, humidity, and temperature control.
Applications include seed germination, seedling cultivation, plant tissue culture, microbial culture, and the rearing of insects or small animals where the chamber is suitable for the species. Appropriately configured chambers may also support BOD testing in water analysis and other simulated-climate experiments.
They are used in biological and genetic engineering, medicine, agriculture, forestry, environmental science, animal husbandry, and aquaculture.
7. Illuminated Incubators
Illuminated incubators combine precise temperature control with a lighting system. They are used for culture and breeding experiments in bioengineering, medical research, agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and animal husbandry.
Key features: Lighting and temperature control.
Plant cultivation is a primary application. For bacterial, mold, or other microbial cultures, the configuration and lighting conditions should be selected according to the organism being cultured. Unlike artificial climate chambers, illuminated incubators do not necessarily include humidity control.
8. Low-Temperature Incubators
Low-temperature incubators provide lower incubation temperatures and are widely used for microbial culture and environmental testing. They can also be used to store culture media, serum, pharmaceuticals, and other materials when their temperature range and performance meet the relevant storage requirements.
Key features: Refrigeration for incubation at lower temperatures. The available temperature range depends on the model.
For more information about incubator, visit our article: What is an Lab Incubator & What is the Difference Between Lab Incubators and Lab Ovens?