LimsPulse
Microbiology & sterility

Incubator / BOD incubator

A temperature-controlled chamber that holds culture plates and tubes at a fixed temperature so microorganisms can grow. BOD incubators can heat and cool, so they also hold temperatures below room temperature, such as 20–25 °C for fungi.

  • Pharmaceutical
  • Biotech
  • Food & beverage
  • Water testing
  • Environmental
  • Research laboratories
Photo of a Incubator / BOD incubator
Photo: Sinalkar Kanchan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Follow your site SOP
This is a typical operating sequence for learning. Your instrument model and approved SOP take precedence.
STAGE 1

Before you start

  1. 1Check the incubator is within its calibration and mapping due dates and is set to the temperature required by the method.
  2. 2Check the current temperature and the monitoring record for any excursion since the last check.
  3. 3Confirm the chamber is clean and that plates from different tests are kept on assigned shelves.
  • Do not use an incubator that is outside its range or whose alarm is active until the excursion has been assessed.
STAGE 2

Loading plates

  1. 1Label plates with test, sample, date and incubation conditions.
  2. 2Place plates inverted (lid down) unless the method says otherwise, to stop condensation dripping onto the agar.
  3. 3Load only the mapped shelf positions, leaving gaps between stacks for air to circulate.
  4. 4Record the date and time in and the incubator ID in the test record.
  5. 5Close the door promptly; minimise how often and how long it is opened.
  • Do not stack plates too high or against the walls and fan, which creates warm or cold spots.
STAGE 3

Daily checks and removal

  1. 1Record the chamber temperature at least once a day (or review the electronic record).
  2. 2Remove plates when the incubation time is complete and record the date and time out.
  3. 3Count or examine plates promptly after removal.
  • If an alarm or excursion occurred during incubation, record it and assess the impact on the test results.
In LimsPulse · Calibration Management

Keep every Incubator in control: usage logs, calibration and maintenance schedules, and automatic blocking of overdue instruments.

See how