For cell culture applications requiring below ambient in vitro oxygen atmospheres, the Panasonic Series MCO-19M (and MCO-38M) cell culture incubator offers both CO2 and O2 control using nitrogen gas to displace ambient air. Stable CO2 and O2 control is achieved through a combination of gas sensors and inject/recovery functions managed by a microprocessor system with P.I.D. (proportional, integral, differential) logic. Combined with the Panasonic cabinet design, the overall system controls the in vitro atmosphere of both gas and temperature.
CO2 Control
The Panasonic infrared CO2 sensor is a modulated pyroelectric system developed by Panasonic for use in the humidified incubator environment. The Panasonic sensor monitors and controls CO2 level over a range of 0% to 20%, with control of +/-0.15%.
Oxygen Control
The MCO-19M multiple gas control system uses a maintenance-free O2 system with a high-precision zirconia electrolyte oxygen sensor. Through accurate determination of the chamber O2 level the microprocessor injects either nitrogen gas or oxygen as required:
- Nitrogen gas (N2) suppresses the ambient oxygen for below-ambient (hypoxic) cell culture protocols over a nominal range of from 2% to 19.9% oxygen
- O2 gas is injected for enriched atmospheres over a nominal range above ambient, typically 22% to 70%