What is a laboratory incubator?

A laboratory incubator is far more than a simple heated chamber. It is an essential instrument for nurturing microbial and cell cultures. By precisely controlling temperature, humidity, gas composition, and cycling conditions, incubators create the optimal environment for delicate experiments.

This controlled environment ensures reproducibility and sample integrity, supporting applications such as bacterial growth, cell culture, biochemical assays, pharmaceutical research, and food safety testing.

What is a laboratory incubator used for?

Incubators support any application where cells or organisms need to grow under stable, reproducible conditions:

• Microbiological cultures, including fungi and other micro-organisms
• Cell culture for research and diagnostic work
• Bacterial growth studies
• Biochemical assays that depend on a stable temperature to run correctly
• Pharmaceutical research, including stability testing of formulations
• Food safety testing, such as detecting microbial contamination in samples

Each application places slightly different demands on the incubator. Cell culture work tends to need tighter gas and humidity control, while bacterial growth studies often just need stable temperature over an extended period.

What types of laboratory incubators are there?

• Standard incubators: heat above ambient temperature, typically used for general bacterial and microbiological culture work
• Refrigerated incubators: extend the range below ambient temperature, suited to organisms or samples that need cooler, more stable conditions than a standard unit provides
• Cooled incubators: similar to refrigerated models, offering active cooling for applications where room temperature is too warm or too variable to rely on
• Large-volume incubators: built for laboratories running higher sample throughput, offering the same temperature control across a much larger chamber
• CO2 incubators: add gas concentration control alongside temperature and humidity, essential for cell culture applications that depend on a stable CO2 atmosphere

Explore our incubators here.

How does a laboratory incubator work?

Most incubators use forced convection, circulating heated air with a fan to keep temperature even throughout the chamber rather than relying on natural airflow, which tends to create hot and cold pockets. Insulated walls and a well-sealed door limit heat loss, while a feedback loop between the temperature sensor and heating element continuously corrects small drifts to hold the setpoint.

For applications that need more than heat, sensors also track humidity and, in CO2 models, gas concentration, adjusting a humidification system or gas injection valve to keep both within range. Opening the door briefly disrupts this balance, so how quickly the chamber returns to its setpoint afterward is a practical measure of how well-controlled a unit is.

What is the difference between a laboratory incubator and oven? 

Ovens generate high, dry heat, typically between 100 °C and 300 °C, intended for drying, sterilizing glassware, or baking out residues. Incubators operate in a much narrower and gentler range, usually 15 °C to 40 °C, since biological samples need conditions close to their natural growth temperature rather than intense heat.

Using an oven in place of an incubator risks overheating and destroying delicate cultures, so a temperature-controlled incubator is essential for reliable, reproducible results.

Froilabo’s Full Range of Laboratory Incubators

Froilabo offers a wide range of high-performance incubators, designed to meet the needs of laboratories of all sizes and applications:

Bio Scientific Incubator:

• Suitable for industry, research, aeronautical, and medical applications
• Available in 60 L, 120 L, and 240 L
• Temperature range: +5 °C to +100 °C

Refrigerated Bio Scientific Incubator: 

• Ideal for micro-organisms, fungi, and microbiological cultures
• Available in 60 L, 120 L, and 240 L
• Temperature range: 0 °C to +100 °C

Bio Performance Large Volume: 

• Designed for laboratories needing more space
• Available in 414 L and 714 L

All Froilabo incubators feature:

• User-friendly displays and programmable timers
• Safety mechanisms such as over-temperature protection
• Sleek stainless steel interiors for easy cleaning
• Design focused on minimizing downtime and maximizing efficiency

Why laboratory incubators matter

Laboratory incubators provide a sterile and reliable environment essential for reproducibility and the integrity of samples. Whether for bacterial cultures, cell growth, or biochemical assays, the precise control offered by Froilabo incubators ensures optimal conditions for sensitive experiments.