Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization.
Laboratory science requires careful maintenance of sterile reagents and tools as well as the sterilization of waste prior to disposal. However, steam autoclaves typically used for this purpose may not be readily accessible to everyone in the scientific community, such as K-12 teachers, researchers i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2018-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208769 |
| _version_ | 1819024463543402496 |
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| author | Vaille A Swenson Amanda D Stacy Michael O Gaylor Blake Ushijima Benjamin Philmus Loralyn M Cozy Nina M Videau Patrick Videau |
| author_facet | Vaille A Swenson Amanda D Stacy Michael O Gaylor Blake Ushijima Benjamin Philmus Loralyn M Cozy Nina M Videau Patrick Videau |
| author_sort | Vaille A Swenson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Laboratory science requires careful maintenance of sterile reagents and tools as well as the sterilization of waste prior to disposal. However, steam autoclaves typically used for this purpose may not be readily accessible to everyone in the scientific community, such as K-12 teachers, researchers in the field, students in under-funded laboratories, or persons in the developing world who lack funding and resources. This work examines the use of commercial electric pressure cookers as an alternative method for the sterilization of media, instruments, and waste. Four commonly available brands of pressure cooker were tested for their ability to sterilize microbiological media, a variety of metal instruments, and high-titer microbial cultures. All four pressure cookers were able to sterilize these starting materials as well as a range of microbial types, including Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, filamentous fungi, unicellular fungi, and mixed environmental samples. Only the Instant Pot, however, was able to sterilize autoclave tester ampoules of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores. These results suggest that, depending on the nature of the work undertaken, store-bought pressure cookers can be an appropriate substitute for commercial autoclaves. Their adoption may also help increase the accessibility of science to a broader range of investigators. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T04:55:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-53a0788e470b401ca570cae0b2f5576a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T04:55:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-53a0788e470b401ca570cae0b2f5576a2022-12-21T19:15:23ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-011312e020876910.1371/journal.pone.0208769Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization.Vaille A SwensonAmanda D StacyMichael O GaylorBlake UshijimaBenjamin PhilmusLoralyn M CozyNina M VideauPatrick VideauLaboratory science requires careful maintenance of sterile reagents and tools as well as the sterilization of waste prior to disposal. However, steam autoclaves typically used for this purpose may not be readily accessible to everyone in the scientific community, such as K-12 teachers, researchers in the field, students in under-funded laboratories, or persons in the developing world who lack funding and resources. This work examines the use of commercial electric pressure cookers as an alternative method for the sterilization of media, instruments, and waste. Four commonly available brands of pressure cooker were tested for their ability to sterilize microbiological media, a variety of metal instruments, and high-titer microbial cultures. All four pressure cookers were able to sterilize these starting materials as well as a range of microbial types, including Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, filamentous fungi, unicellular fungi, and mixed environmental samples. Only the Instant Pot, however, was able to sterilize autoclave tester ampoules of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores. These results suggest that, depending on the nature of the work undertaken, store-bought pressure cookers can be an appropriate substitute for commercial autoclaves. Their adoption may also help increase the accessibility of science to a broader range of investigators.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208769 |
| spellingShingle | Vaille A Swenson Amanda D Stacy Michael O Gaylor Blake Ushijima Benjamin Philmus Loralyn M Cozy Nina M Videau Patrick Videau Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization. PLoS ONE |
| title | Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization. |
| title_full | Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization. |
| title_fullStr | Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization. |
| title_short | Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization. |
| title_sort | assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208769 |
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