Instruments/Equipment used in Microbiology Lab with Principle and Uses

1. Analytical Balance -is a type of balance that is commonly used for the
measurement of mass in the sub-milligram range
Uses: effectively used for completion of tasks like weighing test materials and
sampling amounts, formulation, density determination, purity analysis, quality
control testing, and material and conformance testing.
2. Autoclave- is a pressurized chamber used for the process of sterilization and
disinfection by combining three factors: time, pressure, and steam.
Uses: - Autoclaves are mostly used for the sterilization of medical or laboratory
equipment with the capacity of sterilizing a large number of materials at once. -
They are commonly used for the preparation of culture media during laboratory
applications.
3. Bunsen burner-is a standard tool used in laboratories, named after Robert
Bunsen. It is a gas-fueled single open flame.
Uses: It is commonly used for processes like sterilization, combustion, and heating.
In medical or microbiology laboratories, it is commonly used for micro-loop
sterilization.
4. Centrifuge-is a device that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis,
where an outward force is applied perpendicularly to the axis. A laboratory
centrifuge is motor-based and allows the rotation of a liquid sample resulting in the
separation of the components of the mixture.
Uses: The primary application of a centrifuge is the separation of particles
suspended in a suspension. It can be used for the separation of cell organelles,
nucleic acid, blood components, and separation of isotopes.
5. Colony Counter -is used to estimate the density of a liquid culture by counting the
number of CFU (colony forming units) on an agar or culture plates.
Uses: A colony counter is primarily used for counting the number of colonies
present on a culture plate to estimate the concentration of microorganisms in liquid
culture.
6. Deep Freezer - Deep freezers are based on the principle that under extremely low
temperatures, there is minimum microbial growth which allows for the protection
and preservation of different substances.Based on this principle, we can even
preserve cultures over a long period of time without any change in the concentration
of the microorganisms.
Uses: A deep freeze can be used for the preservation of different things used in the
laboratories for a very long period of time. Deep freezers are used in laboratories to
store and preserve medical equipment, food items, blood samples, medicines, and
injections, etc. for a more extended period of time.
7.Homogenizer -is a device used in laboratories for the mixing of various liquids and
materials like tissue, plant, food, soil, and many others.
Uses: - A homogenizer is primarily used to disrupt cells to acquire cell organelles for
different microbiological processes. -It is used in the preparation step before the
extraction and purification of different macromolecules like proteins, nucleic acids,
and lipids.
8. Hot plate- is a stand-alone appliance used in microbiology laboratories as a
tabletop heating system. Uses: - used to heat glassware and its components. - They
 are used over water baths as water baths might be hazardous in case of any spills or
overheating.
9. Hot air oven-is an electrical device that is used for sterilization of medical
equipment or samples using dry heat.
Uses: - A hot air oven can be used to sterilize materials like glassware, metal
equipment, powders, etc. - It allows for the destruction of microorganisms as well as
bacterial spores.
10. Incubator-is a device that is used in laboratories for the growth and maintenance
of microorganisms and cultures. Incubator provides an optimal temperature,
pressure, moisture, among other things required for the growth of microorganisms.
Uses: -Incubators have a wide range of applications including cell culture,
pharmaceutical studies, hematological studies, and biochemical studies. - can also be
used in the steam cell research area.
11.Laminar Air Flow/ Laminar Hood-is a closed device primarily for processes or
instruments sensitive to microbial contamination.
Uses: - Laminar Hood is commonly used to conduct processes that are sensitive to
contamination. - It is used for experiments related to plant tissue culture and for the
experiments of genetic transformation.
12. Magnetic Stirrer-is a device commonly used in microbiology laboratories for the
purpose of mixing liquids. Uses: -It is usually used for mixing various liquid
components in a mixture in a chemical or microbiology laboratory. -This device is
used in place of other stirrers as it is noise-free and because the size of the stir bar is
so tiny, there is less chance of contamination.
13. Microscope- Microscopes are devices that allow the observer to have an
exceedingly close view of minute particles.
Uses: Based on the type of microscopes, different microscopes are used for different
purposes.
They are primarily used for the observation of minute particles which cannot be
observed with naked eyes.
14. pH Meter-is a device used in laboratories that measure the H-ion concentration
in water-based solutions to determine the acidity or alkalinity of the solution. A pH
meter is often termed a “potentiometric pH meter” as it measures the difference in
electric potential between the reference and a pH electrode.
Uses: - is primarily used to measure the acidity of pharmaceutical chemicals,
cultures, soil, and water treatment plant. - It can be used to measure the acidity level
in wine and cheese during their production.
15. Spectrophotometer- is an optical instrument for measuring the intensity of light
in relation to wavelength. Based on the amount of light absorbed by a colored
solution, a quantitative analysis of the solution can be done.
Uses:In a microbiology laboratory, a spectrophotometer is applied for the
measurement of the substance concentration of protein, nucleic acids, bacterial
growth, and enzymatic reactions.
16. Vortex Mixture/ Vortexer-is one of the basic technologies used for the mixing of
samples in glass tubes or flasks in laboratories.
Uses: mostly used for the mixing of various sample fluids in the sample tubes and
also allows for the homogenization of cells and cell organelles
17. Water Bath - Water Bath is a conventional device that is used for chemical
reactions that required a controlled environment at a constant temperature.
Uses: Water baths are primarily used for heating samples under a controlled
temperature.
These are suitable for heating chemicals that might be flammable under direct
ignition
18. Water Distiller
A water distiller is a device that purifies water by the process of distillation. This
instrument is commonly used in medical laboratories, microbiology laboratories,
organic chemistry laboratories, and medical industries.
Uses: It is used to obtain distilled water required for many lab tests as well as for the
preparation of culture media.