DE3210730A1 - Cap for a shaker flask - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cap for a shaker flask; the cap is constructed as a spray-catcher and to receive a closure which is permeable to air and/or gas. The object of the invention is to find a cap for microorganism culture vessels which prevents liquid sprays from the nutrient solution reaching the sterile closure of the vessel during shaking, but simultaneously does not prevent the inflow of air and in addition permits the use of other gas-permeable sterile closures (such as wadding plugs). The solution is characterised by a cylindrical pipe stub projecting into the shaker flask, with a seal fitted to its external surface to seal the opening of the shaker flask, baffle surfaces within the pipe stub which are arranged obliquely relative to cross-sectional planes of the pipe stub and cover at least half of the cross section of the pipe stub, and an oblique design of the pipe stub end which projects into the shaker flask.

Description

Description:

The invention relates to an attachment for a shake flask that as a splash trap and to accommodate an air and / or gaseous seal is trained.

When aerobic microorganisms in liquid culture in vessels without an aeration device -e.g. Erlenmeyer flask with cotton plug must be tightened, then the one in the flask liquid located in constant motion for the purpose of ventilation. This is done by a shaker. A sufficient one for the microorganisms Ventilation results at shaking frequencies of up to 100 strokes per minute (with Linear shakers) if the liquid volume is only 1/10 of the total volume of the vessel occupies. In the case of a larger filling volume, the culture vessel must provide a sufficient supply of oxygen the microorganisms are shaken with a higher shaking frequency. The higher one Shaking frequency has the consequence that splashes occur, which act as a sterile closure moisten the cotton plug of the culture vessel.

This makes it unusable as a sterile barrier and also impermeable to air.

A reduction in the filling volume of the vessel leads to the Number of vessels required to grow a certain amount of microorganisms must be increased and the degree of utilization of culture vessels and Shaking machines is decreased. An increased shaking frequency that only occurs when the shutter is in use is possible, causes better aeration of the culture, which is what has been observed many times semi-aerobic growth of the microorganisms with increased density is avoided and through stronger growth of the culture only a complete use of the nutrient substrate becomes possible.

From DE-GM 75 34 387 an article of the above type is known. This spherical ventilation attachment, however, has a nozzle with which he is on the Shake flask is attached. The splash guard is in the interior of the ventilation attachment housed. This construction causes the shake flask to be top heavy, because on the one hand the vertical extension of the shake flask ventilation attachment arrangement is significantly increased by the attachment and on the other hand the ventilation attachment all Has wetting-preventing structural parts and is therefore heavy. At least at high shaking frequencies, there is therefore a risk of the Ventilation attachment.

The object of the invention is to provide an article for Find microorganism culture vessels that prevent liquid splashing reach the sterile closure of the vessel from the nutrient solution when shaken, but at the same time the flow of air is not hindered and additionally the use other gas-permeable sterile seals (than cotton stoppers).

The solution to this problem is in the characterizing features of the Claim 1 described.

The remaining claims give advantageous developments of the invention again.

An advantage of the invention is that the center of gravity of the arrangement was shifted downwards and a shearing off of the splash guard at high shaking frequencies not possible. This also increased the total height of the splash guard provided vessel is significantly reduced, so that now a sterilization in the usual laboratory Tabletop autoclave is possible and the culture vessel in shaking machines with box attachments can be used.

The invention is illustrated below using an exemplary embodiment explained in more detail by means of the figure.

The figure shows — in section — an attachment that consists of a pipe socket 11 exists, which protrudes into the shake flask 4 or the culture vessel. On one Part of its outer surface are three O-ring seals lying parallel to one another 1 supported in grooves 12.

These seal the pipe socket 11 in the attached state the neck 13 of the shaking flask 4. Inside the pipe socket 11 are E.g. two baffles 2, each inclined to a cross-sectional plane through the Pipe socket 11 facing downwards arranged at different heights to one another are. They each claim at least half the pipe diameter and each sit on the inner jacket, offset from one another by approx. 1800.

The attachment is in the neck 13 of the microorganism culture vessel - here an Erlenmeyer flask inserted and held there by four O-rings 1.

These O-rings 1 are dimensioned so that they are the production-related Bridge deviations in the piston neck width. The pipe socket 11 is beveled at the bottom 5, to make it easier for the liquids coming out of the tube to drip off.

The pipe socket 11 / at the lower end 5 protrudes somewhat into the piston chamber 8 in order to catch some of the splashes from the culture liquid 6 here. The path from the interior 8 of the culture vessel 4 to the sterile closure 3 in the upper part 14 of the pipe socket 11 runs inside the pipe, past the two baffles 2. The remaining splashes are caught here. The baffles 2 have notches or holes 15 along a pipe axis, which allow passage and retention enable a cannula 16 to pass through the cotton plug 3 into the culture liquid 6 can be introduced. This enables a sample to be taken from the microorganism culture 3 tur 6 without removing the lock / possible. The essay has the outside of the Top a circumferential edge 7, which together with another O-ring lo the Neck 13 of the culture vessel 4 protects against contamination, so that this part of the vessel opening no contamination after removal of the attachment the to be poured Culture fluid 6 can cause. Furthermore, the edge 7 is used for manageability of the pipe socket 11 when putting on and taking off. In the area of the edge 7 is located inside the tube a notch 9 or projection for receiving a frit or Similar sterile closure, which makes a cotton plug 3 superfluous.

The arrangement therefore serves to prevent the wetting of airborne or gas-permeable sterile closures on microorganism culture vessels liquid culture media, which are shaken steadily, by having an outside with O-ring 1, 10 provided pipe socket 11 in the upper opening of the microorganism culture vessel 4 is inserted.

14 At the upper end / of the pipe socket 11 is the before wetting Sterile closure to be protected 3. The wetting of the sterile closure 3 by splashes from the culture liquid 6 is diagonally downward through the two inside the tube pointing baffles 2 prevented. The gas exchange between the air space in the vessel 4 and the air space outside the vessel 4 is not hindered, so that the baffles 2 only need to occupy half the pipe diameter. The splashes from the culture liquid 6 are mainly from the one in the vessel protruding pipe end 5 intercepted.

Blank page

Claims (6)

Claims: 1. Attachment for a SchuttelkoLxm, which acts as a splash trap and designed to accommodate an air- and / or gas-permeable closure is characterized by a) a cylindrical, protruding into the shake flask (4) Pipe socket (11) with an applied on its lateral surface, opposite the Opening (13) of the shaking flask (4) acting seal (1, 10), b) baffles (2) within the pipe socket (11), which is inclined to the cross-sectional planes of the pipe socket (11) are arranged and the cross section of the pipe socket (11) at least halfway cover, and c) an inclined formation of the protruding into the shake flask (4) Pipe socket end (5). 2. Attachment according to claim 1, characterized in that the baffles (2) each offset by approx. 1800 with respect to the pipe socket axis and are inclined towards the pipe socket end (5). 3. Attachment according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the from the shake flask (4) protruding end (14) of the pipe socket (11) for receiving of the lock / 4o3 is seen. 4. Attachment according to claim 1 or one of the following, characterized in that that a peripheral edge (7) is attached to the pipe socket surface, which as Rotation aid is suitably designed. 5. Attachment according to claim 1 or one of the following, characterized in that that the seal (1, lo) consists of several sealing rings rotating parallel to one another consists, which are held in grooves (12). 6. Attachment according to claim 1 or one of the following, characterized in that that in the baffle surfaces (2) holes (15) are provided, which on a common Axis are aligned horizontally.