Food Microbiology: The 3 Best Media Preparators
We surveyed the SuperMicrobiologists working in food microbiology labs to find out which culture media preparators they prefer (for the production of enrichment broth).
Three brands of media preparators came out on top in this survey, and we’ll introduce them in this article.
Contents:
What is a media preparator?
A media preparator (also called Media Sterilizer) is a “machine” that helps prepare and sterilize culture media.
In food microbiology labs, these preparators are mainly used to produce enrichment broths, such as Buffered Peptone Water (BPW) and Fraser broth (or Half-Fraser broth).
Using a media preparator is relatively easy. You put the dehydrated culture medium (the powder) and water into the stainless steel tank, and then start the sterilization cycle (20 minutes at 121°C).
During this process, the machine sterilizes the medium while stirring it to ensure it mixes well. After sterilization, it cools the medium down so it can be safely used by the operator and the microorganisms—after all, we don’t want to burn them!
When preparing an enrichment broth, the preparator is directly connected to a gravimetric dilutor. The only thing left to do is weigh the sample, and the dilutor will add the sterile enrichment broth.
Easy, right?
SuperMicrobiologists’ favorite media preparators
There are many factors to consider when choosing a media preparator, and we’ve listed them in a dedicated article. To make it easier for you, we surveyed SuperMicrobiologists from the food industry to find out which media preparators they prefer.
Here are the 3 top brands:
The MEDIACLAVE from INTEGRA
INTEGRA Biosciences is well known for its pipettes, but it also offers the MEDIACLAVE range of media preparators.
Although less visible in the French market, MEDIACLAVE preparators are used in many food microbiology labs.
Two sizes are available: MEDIACLAVE 10 (10 liters for preparing agar media) and MEDIACLAVE 30 (30 liters for enrichment broths).
The MEDIACLAVE range is manufactured in Switzerland.
The three key strengths of MEDIACLAVE 10/30: :
- Easy to use: With its sleek design, the MEDIACLAVE 10/30 is very user-friendly (few buttons, intuitive interface).
- Reliability: Thousands of MEDIACLAVE units are used in microbiology labs (research, clinical, pharma, food) worldwide. These media sterilizers are known for their safety and high reliability.
- Maintenance: INTEGRA Biosciences offers preventive and curative maintenance contracts, with the option to provide a replacement unit within 48 hours during repairs.
The other media preparators mentioned in the survey are those from bioMérieux and ABE.
The Challenger
The ReadyStream from Merck
The ReadyStream from Merck is not exactly a “media preparator” like the ones described above, but it’s still a technology that allows you to prepare sterile enrichment broth from dehydrated media.
The three key strengths of ReadyStream:
- Prepare 100 liters of BPW in just 15 minutes.
- Sterilization is done through filtration, which uses less energy than heat sterilization—and it eliminates the risk of burns.
- The prepared medium can be stored for up to 5 days after rehydration.
The Best Dehydrated Culture Media
To prepare culture media (BPW, Fraser) with a media preparator, you need powder—but not just any powder! Not all dehydrated media are the same (see an article on this subject).
During the survey, we also asked SuperMicrobiologists which brands of Buffered Peptone Water (BPW) they prefer.
Here are the four most mentioned brands of dehydrated media:
Here are the four most mentioned brands of dehydrated media:
- Biokar
- bioMerieux
- BD
- Merck
Your choice of dehydrated medium will depend on your matrices (pH), weights (25 or 375g), and detection methods (sensitivity, incubation time, etc.).
Conclusion
In conclusion, for SuperMicrobiologists working in food microbiology labs, the two preferred media preparators are the MASTERCLAVE® from bioMérieux and the MEDIACLAVE from INTEGRA.
These devices stand out for their features, reliability, and ease of use, meeting the needs of professionals in food microbiology.
A newcomer, the ReadyStream from Merck, also offers an innovative alternative for quickly preparing enrichment broths.
If you still have any questions regarding media preparators, let us know in the comments. We’ll be more than happy to answer them!
I propose to team be more deeply in estimation for categories analyzed like Best dehydrated culture media/Best Media Preparator e.t . It is looked like very subjective conclusion without serious without in-depth technical comparisons and without sufficient justification. The problem is that your conclusions are posted publicly and distort the real competitive assessment. It gives the impression that this is a hybrid type of advertising
Dear Nataliya,
Thank you very much for your feedback.
Our approach is quite broad. In our survey, we ask microbiologists to give an overall assessment of the product. This includes performance, robustness, customer support, and ease of use. We also ask about the strengths and limitations of the technology.
It may seem subjective, but we believe it isn’t, as our article is based on hundreds of responses. This gives a valuable overall perspective to help microbiologists make a shortlist, contact suppliers, test the technology in their lab, and then decide.
We could go into more detail and give a score for each parameter, but we are concerned that it would become too complex to understand. Our goal was to create a simple article based on the experiences of as many users as possible.
Thanks again for your message, which gave us the opportunity to share our point of view.
Pierre