Whether you’re setting up a new lab or upgrading your sterilization equipment, understanding how autoclaves work is essential.
How to sterilize your canned foods properly?
Are you familiar with the essential steps required before sterilizing your gourmet preserves or ready-made meals? Preparing your food correctly for sterilization is critical, not just for quality, but also to ensure compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations in your country.
Do you want to learn how to sterilize your canned foods properly? Read this article for a step-by-step guide.
What is the difference between pasteurization and sterilization?
Both techniques are used to preserve food in hermetically sealed containers by eliminating microorganisms and enzymes through heat. However, there are key differences between the two.
- Pasteurization involves heating food to temperatures between 60°C and 100°C for a few minutes or even seconds. Because the process is less intense, it better preserves the food’s organoleptic properties, but it does not destroy all microorganisms. As a result, pasteurized products must be kept refrigerated and have a shorter expiration date.
- Sterilization, on the other hand, exposes canned food to temperatures above 100°C for a specific period of time. While this method is more intense, it completely eliminates microorganisms and spores. This ensures a much longer preservation time without the need for refrigeration, allowing storage at room temperature.
For more details, read this article.
What is the difference between a vertical and a horizontal autoclave?
The key distinction between vertical and horizontal autoclaves lies in how they are loaded and the design of their sterilization chambers:
- Vertical autoclaves: Materials are loaded from the top. These units typically offer a larger capacity, allowing sterilization of greater volumes in a single cycle.
- Benchtop horizontal autoclaves: Items are loaded through a front-facing swing door. Their compact design makes them ideal for laboratories with limited space or clinical environments where footprint matters.
What is sterilization?
Sterilization is the process of completely eliminating all microorganisms, including the most resistant bacteria and spores. Read everything you need to know about sterilization in this article.
Why is sterilization difficult to verify?
Achieving true sterilization is both challenging and difficult to verify. Although many chemical agents, both organic and inorganic, can kill microorganisms, they are not always completely effective and may leave unwanted or toxic residues behind.
Read everything you need to know about sterilization in this article.
How does steam destroy microorganisms?
Microorganisms generally become more active as their surrounding temperature increases, most, though not all, are destroyed at temperatures above 80°C. Prions, however, require significantly higher temperatures and longer exposure times for deactivation. During steam sterilization, steam molecules condense on the cooler surfaces of microorganisms, releasing about 2,500 joules per gram of steam.
This process efficiently transfers heat, raising microorganisms to the temperature at which they are destroyed. Other heating methods, such as dry hot air, are far less effective due to lower heat transfer and boundary layer effects that can insulate and protect microorganisms.
For maximum effectiveness, the steam must be saturated. This condition, along with the steam’s temperature and pressure, can be easily monitored, providing clear proof that sterilization has been achieved. By using steam sterilization techniques, a high level of sterility can be ensured, which is why the steam sterilizer, or autoclave, remains the most widely used equipment in laboratories and hospitals.
Read everything you need to know about sterilization in this article.
How to clean an autoclave?
The efficiency and safe operation of an autoclave, an essential tool for sterilizing medical instruments, laboratory equipment, and other critical items, depend directly on consistently following proper cleaning and maintenance practices.
The buildup of residues can not only reduce the equipment’s performance but also compromise operator safety and the effectiveness of the sterilization process.
This article provides a comprehensive guide to cleaning and maintaining autoclaves, offering both general considerations and specific recommendations to ensure their durability, reliability, and optimal performance.
Which products should I use to clean an autoclave?
To maintain the equipment’s performance and prevent damage, it’s important to use cleaning products that actively protect autoclaves’ internal components. Avoid any materials or substances that are abrasive or corrosive.
Recommended products for cleaning an autoclave:
- Soft cloths or cotton towels
- Distilled water, which helps prevent mineral deposits that could block the drainage valve
- A neutral detergent or a non-abrasive cleaning product recommended by the manufacturer
This article provides a comprehensive guide to cleaning and maintaining autoclaves.
What does autoclave cleaning involve?
Routine cleaning involves a series of simple manual steps that must be carried out carefully to prevent damage to the equipment. It’s important to observe general precautions such as:
- Avoid using direct water jets, whether high-pressure or spray
- Prevent the buildup of limescale or other residues in the sterilization chamber, lid, and gasket
Read this article for a detailed cleaning procedure.