Culture media preparation – homogenization, sterilization, supplementation and cooling – takes place in top-notch (high performance and reliable) automated auto-preparators, which allows controlled homogenization and sterilization together with uniform overheating and accurate repeatable standard time, pressure and final temperature for each type of culture medium. Cooling and supplementation take place automatically according to the selected cycle. The whole process is recorded by the computer in the devices.
Simple cycle
Cycle example:
- with sterilization at 121 °C for 15 minutes
- with dosing at 42 °C with supplement.
Two-step cycle
Cycle example (chocolate agar):
- with sterilization at 121 °C for 15 minutes
- with one step at 78 °C for 5 minutes with added blood (7%)
- dosing at 42 °C.
Special cycle
Cycle example:
- with one step at 95 °C for 1 minute
- with the second step at 25 °C for 15 minutes
- with sterilization at 121 °C for 15 minutes
- with dosing at 42 °C
Filling is carried out automatically in a “clean room” aseptic box in sterile environment with laminar flow of filtered air of Purity Class A. In case of Petri dishes, maximum sterility is additionally ensured by automatic opening the lid along with UV sterilization of the filled space without human intervention. Peristaltic pump dosing at optimal temperature according to the type of substrate provides a very important factor – a standard correct volume of the medium. A non-standard volume may change the interpretation of the results, because the growth inhibition zone diameter in antibiotic substrates depends on the height of the agar layer!
Packaging of dishes (or closing of bottles) with ready-made substrates takes place in the same environment (A), where the dishes are packed into a polyethylene film in which excellent parameters last for several months.
