Published: 31 Jan 2025(Updated: 19 Feb 2025)

•6 min

•6 min read

•Ashley Treas•0

Back to Basics: Setting the right shaker parameters for cultivation success

Back to basicsCell cultureLife science researchMicrobial bioprocess

In bioprocessing, selecting the right shaker parameters is essential for optimizing the growth and productivity of various organisms, including bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells. By fine-tuning these parameters, scientists can create ideal environments for cultivation, maximizing process efficiency and reproducibility. In this installment of our Back to Basics blog series, we focus on how INFORS HT incubator shakers enable better control and flexibility to meet diverse cultivation needs.

Key shaker parameters for cultivation applications

Shaker settings vary greatly depending on the type of organism you are cultivating. Adjusting these parameters can significantly affect results. Here are the key shaker parameters to consider:

Orbital throw

The orbital throw, or orbital diameter, determines how far the shaker moves during its cycle. It impacts aeration and mixing, making it vital to choose the appropriate throw based on the organism:

Microbial cultures: 25 mm orbital throw increases aeration, supporting growth in organisms like E. coli.
Mammalian cell cultures: An orbital throw range of 19-50 mm minimizes shear stress, ideal for sensitive cells such as HEK293 cells used in gene therapy.

Blog post

Choose the right orbital throw for your application

Explore how selecting the right orbital throw can help you achieve consistent and reproducible results.

Read blog

Temperature control

Precise temperature control is crucial for optimal growth of all types of cultures:

Bacteria like E.coli, grow effectively at ~37°C.
Yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae thrive in 25-30°C.
Mammalian cells require consistent temperatures commonly at ~37°C.

INFORS HT incubator shakers provide precise temperature control, adapting to the unique requirements of each organism.

Humidification

Humidity plays a key role in reducing evaporation and maintaining consistent growth conditions, particularly during long incubations. INFORS HT’s shakers incorporate hygienic humidification systems designed to optimize this parameter effectively.

Blog post

Pros and cons of humidification systems

The different systems available on the market have one primary focus: to reduce evaporation losses by increasing the humidity levels inside the incubation chamber. However, there are significant differences in terms of quality, humidity control and sterility. Read this blog to learn which is best for you.

Read blog

Decontamination

UV decontamination lights can help maintain sterility by eliminating bacteria and other contaminants that could interfere with experiments. INFORS HT’s incubator shakers can be fitted with UV decontamination capabilities to reduce microbial load in the air stream. Learn how UV decontamination serves as an effective risk mitigation strategy in your incubator shaker in the blog entitled, "Understanding UV decontamination".

Read blog

Oxygen supply

For aerobic organisms, adequate oxygen transfer is essential for cellular respiration and promoting growth. INFORS HT’s incubator shakers provide adjustable shaking speeds and robust designs that accommodate various flask sizes, vessel types, and fill volumes, to ensure optimal oxygen transfer.

Oxygen demand is high in microbial cultures like E.coli. Effective oxygen transfer depends on both shaking speed and the system’s ability to handle larger vessels, such as Thomson Ultra-Yield flasks. Multitron incubator shakers excel in this area, accommodating high-volume flasks while maintaining consistent performance and minimizing the risk of mechanical breakdown.
Mammalian cultures typically have lower oxygen demands. Shakers prioritize gentle agitation to avoid cellular stress while maintaining adequate aeration.
Algae produces oxygen during photosynthesis so additional oxygen supply isn’t needed. Excess oxygen can lead to oxidative stress or photorespiration. Effective removal through sparging or ventilation prevents toxicity.

CO₂ control

Regulating CO₂ levels is vital for maintaining pH balance, particularly for sensitive mammalian cell cultures. INFORS HT incubator shakers have a built-in CO₂ control system providing stable environments to meet these sensitive demands.

Webinar

Customer experiment results

Here is a specific experiment done by Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing (JIB) revealing the ideal parameters for HEK293 cells in gene therapy.

Watch webinar

Lighting for Phototrophic organisms

Understanding the role of light is crucial when cultivating phototrophic organisms, as it serves as the primary energy source for growth. The Multitron incubator shaker addresses this need with energy-efficient warm white LED lighting, offering intensities up to 240 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ and a full spectrum that closely mimics sunlight. This approach ensures versatility for different organisms with varying absorption maxima while providing conditions comparable to real-world environments, facilitating seamless scale-up and process transfer. The system also delivers uniform light distribution across the shaking platform, essential for homogeneous culture growth, and supports day-night cycle simulation or targeted induction, all effortlessly managed with eve software.

Tailoring shaker parameters to different organisms

Tailoring shaker settings to the specific needs of each organism is key to enhancing productivity and minimizing culture stress. Here’s how you can adjust your shaker parameters for a variety of cultivation applications:

Bacteria

Orbital throw	~25 mm for enhanced mixing
Temperature	37°C
Oxygen supply	High shaking speeds for optimal transfer

Yeast

Orbital throw	~25 mm for balanced aeration
Temperature	~25-30°C
Oxygen supply	Moderate speeds to support aerobic respiration

Mammalian cells

Orbital throw	~19-50 mm for minimize shear stress
Temperature	~37°C
Oxygen supply	Gentle mixing is sufficient for oxygen supply at low shear stress
CO₂	CO₂ helps maintain a stable pH in the cultures

Insect and plant cells

Orbital throw	~25-50 mm to provide gentle agitation suitable for fragile cells
Temperature	~20-30°C
Oxygen supply	Moderate shaking speeds to ensure sufficient oxygen transfer while minimizing stress on delicate cells

Phototrophic processes (algae, cyanobacteria)

Orbital throw	~25 mm for dense culture mixing
Temperature	~20-25°C
Oxygen supply	No oxygen supply is needed due to algae producing it during photosynthesis. Moderate shaking speeds for removal of excessive oxygen and for CO₂ transfer.
Light	Adequate and uniform light is essential. Excessive light can cause photoinhibition, while insufficient light reduces growth rates.

Blog post

Additional cultivation parameter recommendations

Read this blog article to learn about all you need to start shaking or running your bioreactor with mammalian cells, insect cells and plant cells.

Read blog

Why INFORS HT?

Selecting the right shaker parameters is key to enhancing the growth and productivity of your cultivation processes. With flexible settings for orbital throw, temperature, humidity, oxygen supply, and more, INFORS HT incubator shakers provide tailored solutions for a wide range of organisms. The addition of advanced features like integrated CO₂ control and LED lighting ensures precision and reliability in every experiment.

To further optimize your process, a variety of shaker accessories are available to support diverse applications while maintaining peak performance. Whether you’re cultivating mammalian cells for gene therapy or optimizing algae growth for biofuel production, INFORS HT shakers offer the tools you need to succeed. Additionally, INFORS HT also offers personalized service and support to help ensure your shaker maintains peak performance, maximizing efficiency and reliability in every cultivation step.

Further optimize your cultivation process with INFORS HT — your partner in bioprocessing success

Incubator shakers

Our laboratory shakers stand out for their intelligent, ergonomic design and utilization of the latest technologies.

Learn more

Incubator shaker services

Our global network of experienced technicians is here to help ensure your incubator shakers operate 24/7.

Learn more

Incubator shakers

Our laboratory shakers stand out for their intelligent, ergonomic design and utilization of the latest technologies.

Learn more

Incubator shaker services

Our global network of experienced technicians is here to help ensure your incubator shakers operate 24/7.

Learn more

Did you like this article?Leave us a rating!

Average: 0/5

Comments(0)

Blog

12 Feb 2025•9 min read•4•0

Optimizing HEK293 cell cultures for gene therapy applications: the role of incubator flexibility

Gene therapy is a promising approach for treating various genetic disorders and diseases. A critical component of gene therapy is the production of viral vectors, which serve as delivery vehicles for therapeutic genes. Human Embryonic Kidney 293 (HEK293) cells have become a widely used platform for viral vector production due to their efficiency in transfection and ability to support viral replication. However, optimizing HEK293 cell cultures for large-scale production of viral vectors remains a challenge in making gene therapies more accessible and cost-effective.

31 Jan 2025•3 min read•4•0

Back to Basics: Understanding UV decontamination in incubator shakers

Maintaining a sterile environment is essential in bioprocess laboratories, particularly when working with sensitive cell cultures or microbial samples. Contamination not only jeopardizes experimental results, but it can also lead to costly downtime and wasted resources. In this first installment of our Back to Basics blog series, we focus on the role of UV decontamination in incubator shakers and how it serves as an effective risk mitigation strategy.

31 Jan 2025•4 min read•4,7•0

Back to Basics: What every scientist should know about their orbital throw

Selecting the correct orbital throw for your incubator shaker is critical for achieving optimal results in cell culture, bacterial growth, and other bioprocessing applications. In this installment of the Back to Basics series, we will explore what orbital throw is, why it matters, and how to make the best choice for your experiments.

12 Feb 2025•9 min read•4•0

Optimizing HEK293 cell cultures for gene therapy applications: the role of incubator flexibility

31 Jan 2025•3 min read•4•0

Back to Basics: Understanding UV decontamination in incubator shakers

31 Jan 2025•4 min read•4,7•0

Back to Basics: What every scientist should know about their orbital throw

Back to Basics: Setting the right shaker parameters for cultivation success