Ultrasonic Cell Disrupters, also called Sonicators or Sonifiers® operate on a different principle than mechanical shear homogenizers.  They are extremely effective on hard to disrupt samples and for producing smaller particle size distribution within a sample.  Some of the samples that are typically sonicated or sonified are bacteria, spores, tough animal tissue, soil samples, nanostructures, and liposomes.

There are three main components of a laboratory Ultrasonic Homogenizer; an electronic generator which provides the power, a transducer which converts the signal to mechanical energy and a horn or probe where the processing takes place.

The electronic generator which located in the base of the unit gets its power from an AC line.  The generator transforms this electrical power to a 20 KHz signal that drives the transducer or converter. This signal is outside of normal human hearing ranges so it is not audible in this form of energy.

• Is cross-contamination a concern in your lab?

• Have you ever lost valuable sample in your laboratory homogenizer probe?

• Are you tired of wasting time cleaning stainless steel homogenizer probes?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions you should check out the Omni Tip™ Clear Plastic Homogenizer Probes. These probes are engineered from durable plastics and can process a wide variety of sample types.

The soft tissue Omni Tips are ideal for liquid homogenization, emulsifications and tissues such as liver and brain.

The hard tissue Omni Tips are ideal for kidney, heart, muscle, tumor, frozen and other similar tissue types.

Omni Tips are just as effective at homogenizing samples as their stainless steel counterparts, but they remove all of the hassle associated with stainless steel probes. Omni Tips are disposable, eliminating any risk of cross-contamination between samples during processing. However, Omni Tips can be reused if necessary. Their simple two-piece design makes them extremely easy to disassemble and clean.

What could be worse than relying on a piece of laboratory equipment and when you need it most, it doesn’t work?-Knowing that this disaster could have been easily prevented.

Everybody knows the best way to get maximum efficiency and use out of your car is to keep it properly maintained. Yet when it comes to lab homogenizers, maintenance is often overlooked. I know there is a big difference between your Honda and your homogenizer, but both are complex machines that contain several moving parts. Moving parts will eventually wear out.

Within the next few months, Omni International will be introducing the new Omni LH96 Automated Homogenizer Workstation.  The LH96 is a fully automated laboratory workstation that can be configured to batch process up to 192 samples (dependant upon sample tube sizes).  This new product homogenizes samples using four brushless motors, which will be able to independently power disposable and stainless steel Omni Tip™ style generator probes.  Brushless motors will greatly reduce the amount of noise inside labs, and will allow consistent processing of samples using patented Omni Tip™ products.  When comparing this sound level to four conventional motor drives, you will experience a significantly quieter lab environment.

Operator error can result from manually homogenizing a large number of samples per day.  Having a fully automated homogenizer in your laboratory will allow you to load the unit and walk away while it processes your samples.  This in turn will allow you to do something else productive.

In my last blog I wrote that I would be back with some Ultrasonic Homogenizer Applications and here I am, back again, trying to fill the Ultrasonic void.

Although Ultrasonic Homogenization is most widely known for disruption of cells and tissue, there are many other uses for it that covers a wide range of applications.

Emulsifications

Water in oil emulsions are well suited for sonication because there is little danger of the sample being ruined by inversion and the process is considerably faster than traditional mixing methods.  The cosmetic industry uses Ultrasonic Homogenization for liquid make-up in order to disperse the pigments uniformly.  It is also widely used by lotion and toothpaste manufacturers as the final product has a much longer shelf life and is a higher quality product.

Environmental

Sonication is used in environmental testing labs for testing of water, soil and sediment samples.  Testing that was done prior to Ultrasonic Homogenization was very time consuming and required high volumes of solvents.

It is no secret to researchers who homogenize tissue samples as part of their regular laboratory routine that the job can be messy and loud, and produce results that are sometimes inconsistent. To improve the laboratory work experience, we took a fresh look at the factors that matter most to those who use our homogenizers. These factors include sample processing results, repeatability, ease of cleaning, product noise, time, ease of use, product weight, reliability and environmental impact.This analysis resulted in the creation of the new Omni THQ lightweight handheld rotor stator homogenizer with Whisper Drive™ technology. Mechanical shear homogenizers, also known as rotor-stator homogenizers are the product of choice for most tissue homogenization applications. They generally consist of a motor and a processing probe called a generator probe. As a knife spins within the stator, it creates a pumping action that pulls liquid into the open end of the generator probe.

? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The term “homogenize” is a general term, broadly used to represent processing samples uniformly, usually by means of mixing, emulsifying, stirring, disrupting tissues, lysing cells, or various other methods.  The majority of researchers we speak with have not had previous experience with a specific laboratory homogenizer product in the past, and thus may not know which product or method is most suitable for their application.

Where does one start?  In today’s market choices abound. Here are several important data points to consider before deciding what to purchase, and who to purchase from.

• Application info – does the company or organization you’re speaking with have previous successful experience processing samples similar to yours? Do they have application data they can reference?
• Testimonials – Can they reference customers using their products?
• One Stop Shop – does the company offer several different types of homogenizing methods, as well as accessories?
• Customer-centric – does the company have experienced technical people available to answer your questions, both pre and post sale?

Bead Milling is one of the many technologies used for grinding, lysing and homogenization of laboratory samples. Bead Mills are typically used for samples that are difficult to disrupt with standard mechanical laboratory homogenizers. These sample types include tumor, heart, e-coli, yeast, bone, skin, cartilage, spores, seeds and soil. Bead Mills can also be used to extract nucleic acids and proteins and can be used with difficult to process cells such as cyanobacteria, mycobacteria, and microalgae.

Bead Mills employ very small glass, ceramic or steel beads. These beads are placed in a vessel along with the sample media. The vessel, beads and sample are vigorously agitated by shaking or stirring. Disruption of the sample occurs as the beads collide rapidly with the cells. A combination of the grinding beads and rotational effect produces a faster, more reliably effective lysing process for biological samples. Typically, a higher volume ratio of beads to cells produces a faster rate of cell disruption.

In case you haven’t yet heard, Omni International will be introducing the new THQ handheld laboratory homogenizer to the market within the next few months. This new product will have a brushless motor, digital speed control/readout, and will be OmniTip compatible. These features will reduce the amount of noise inside labs, and will allow a consistent processing of samples using plastic and stainless steel OmniTips.

This Rotor/Stator design homogenizes samples using a brushless motor. This allows the THQ to produce a sound level of 60dB at top speed, which is 15% quieter than most motor drives (but not as silent as your ninja lab partner). It also has a universal power input, accepting 115 and 220 volt power, and an optional external battery pack. This battery pack offers a 15 minute battery life at peak power, which allows it to be used out in the field for quick and efficient on-the-spot testing.

Many customers who are just starting to investigate laboratory homogenization techniques call us and ask what the difference is between Ultrasonic Homogenization and Mechanical Shear or Rotor/Stator Homogenization.  As we offer both products, it is fairly simple for us to meet the requirements of all the customers whether they need sonication or mechanical shear technology.  Although you may be able to get similar results from both ultrasonic and mechanical homogenizers, the way they create the energy to process the sample is different and can have distinctive effects on the sample and the end result.

Ultrasonic homogenization is created by power that is supplied by electrical energy that is transferred to a probe, usually titanium, where it is converted to mechanical energy.  This mechanical energy shows up as longitudinal vibrations at the tip of the probe.  Once the energy reaches the tip it causes microscopic vapor bubbles that implode and cause shock waves throughout the sample that cause the processing effect or what is called cavitation.