CO8000 Cell Density Meter – Witec AG

The Biowave CO 8000 from Biochrom is an easy-to-use instrument to measure the density of cells in suspension (e.g. yeast cells and bacterial cultures) by measuring Absorbance (OD) at 600nm.

This hand held instrument has an integral battery allowing it to be taken to where the cell cultures are growing e.g. in incubation cabinets, under anaerobic conditions or even in a fume hood or safety cabinets.

• Single beam LED cell density meter measures OD at 600nm
• Small, portable with rechargeable battery
• Long lifetime LED source with little maintenance needed
• Easy to use, clean and sterilise
• Stores up to 99 results to download later

This robust instrument will accept a variety of cuvettes and tubes- including 10, 12, and 16mm diameter test tubes meaning it can be used with Erlenmeyer side arm flasks. With no warm up time, just switch it on and it’s ready to use giving you results that are comparable to larger, more expensive spectrophotometers. The cell density of the cultures can be measured and the results stored in the memory. The results are given in Absorbance Units (OD). Once all measurements are taken, the up to 99 sample results can be viewed on the easy to read screen or the instrument can be connected to a PC or printer and the results downloaded.

This low maintenance instrument uses an indefinite life LED with fibre optics and no filters. The rechargable battery automatically recharges when connected to the mains and allows up to 1 month's normal use (under normal conditions) on a single charge. It is easily cleaned with ethanol or sterilized with formaldehyde or ethylene oxide.

It is important to note that cell cultures are turbid samples , so the Absorbance (OD) measured is due to light scattering, and not due to molecular absorption. Clumping together of cells will also affect readings, so the medium they are suspended in will also make a difference. This means that the actual reading obtained is very dependent on the collecting area of the detector after the sample and the optical geometry of the system. These vary depending on the make and model of instrument, so differences in readings between types of instruments are to be expected.

To use this instrument with cells other than yeast or E.coli known concentrations / cell counts (with replicates to gauge error limits) should be plotted against measured OD600 to construct a calibration curve.