Laboratory Freeze Dryer: The Instrument That Deserves More Attention Than Any Other

Walk into any decent research laboratory and have a closer look there; surely, you'll see a device that does its work quietly and receives neither enough attention nor appreciation. What do we mean? Yes, it is a laboratory freeze dryer that turns delicate and perishable materials into an extremely durable substance while keeping its integrity and biological activity intact.

After witnessing numerous laboratories succeed or fail depending on the quality of samples' preservation, I can assure you that the selection of freeze dryer is more critical than people usually realize before making a purchase.

The Main Task of a Laboratory Freeze Dryer

At first glance, freeze drying occurs because of the lyophilization effect when the sample becomes frozen and then is placed into a vacuum chamber where the ice turns into the gas. The very fact of sublimation is what makes freeze drying so effective because it allows to dehydrate the sample but keep its structure and properties intact.

Compare it to the ordinary drying procedure when proteins and tissues get denatured, and molecules needed for the researcher disappear. So, now we understand why pharmaceutical laboratories, biotechnological companies, food industries, and even university research departments resort to this technique when processing sensitive materials.

The Importance of "Vacuum" More Than Any Other Feature

All laboratory freeze dryers are, in fact, vacuum freeze dryers. There's no other way of sublimating water at low temperatures without a decent vacuum pump and vacuum chamber pressure control. Pay special attention to this feature when selecting a laboratory freeze dryer; sometimes, it is the key to the difference between ordinary and pharmaceutical grade models.

Choosing The Lab Scale Or Industrial Freeze Dryer Setup

It should be remembered that not every freeze dryer can be used for research purposes on a lab table. As soon as the product comes out of the research phase and moves into production, many organizations prefer to use the industrial freeze dryer, which offers a larger chamber volume and faster throughput using the same sublimation principle. Anticipating this from the very beginning, you will save yourself many troubles concerning budgeting.

What You Should Know About Freeze Dryer Manufacturers

There are numerous options in the market. However, there is one thing you should definitely take into consideration. Reliable freeze dryer manufacturers will offer you information about condenser cooling, its temperature range, shelves uniformity, vacuum control and technical assistance for after sales. Do not accept promises from the manufacturers but demand to see the actual data on the equipment; especially, a condenser with capacity of -50 °C does not necessarily have this temperature in operation with aqueous samples.

Conclusion

Freeze dryer laboratory is not only the equipment which needs to be purchased as part of your purchasing procedure. It is what determines if the results of your months of research will survive the storage period. No matter what type of freeze dryer you have chosen, understanding of vacuum, temperature and sublimation processes will allow you to use it better.