28) Lab Essentials : Hot Air Oven

Microbiology Lab Essentials :

28) Hot Air Oven :

Hot air ovens use extremely high temperatures over several hours to destroy microorganisms and bacterial spores.

The ovens use conduction to sterilize items by heating the outside surfaces of the item, which then absorbs the heat and moves it towards the center of the item.

Hot air sterilization is one method of effectively killing microbes of all kinds, especially bacteria, viruses and molds on heat-resistant materials. Contamination control during the incubation of cell cultures in a CO₂ incubator is of the greatest importance.

            Lab equipment Hot Air Oven :

Items that are sterilized in a hot air oven include :

Glassware (like petri dishes, flasks, pipettes, and test tubes)

Powders (like starch, zinc oxide, and sulfadiazine)

Materials that contain oils.

Metal equipment (like scalpels, scissors, and blades)Hot air ovens use extremely high temperatures over severalhours.