Pressure cooker for steriliIzing

[Sampei]

So I was checking out way of sterilizing and I have read of course about pressure cooker, I mean it's fucking easy to use it. You buy autoclave pouch, put the shit in it, get everything in the pressure cooker, have it on a tray in the pressure cooker not touching the water, load it, turn it on and 20-30 minutes later you got sterilized stuff, so could be vials stopper beakers, media bottle, whatever you need.

Now there is my issue... Sterilizing happens at 15psi or more for what I have gathered... Well no fucking shit I can't find a pressure cooker that goes to 15psi (100+ KPA) here in fucking Italy, the only one I find are professional chem lab pressure cooker (closer to portable autoclave) at 300+ euro pressure cooker.

Would a pressure cooker that goes to 70kpa max be ok and I just need to run it longer like 1 hours instead of 20/30 minutes? Or it needs to get at that temperature 120+ C to sterilize?

I'm seriously pissed off

 

[Sampei]

@narta @Spaceman Spiff @dirthand

 

[nightprowler7]

Also keep in mind, most people who are sterilizing glass want it to look clean. So either dry sterilization (oven or toaster oven) or an autoclave WITH A DRYING cycle option. Most cheap autoclaves don’t have a drying cycle. This led me to seek a name brand autoclave from a legitimate medical supply company by using a friend who has medical credentials and a vets office to hide my identity.


Your best bet if you have limited options is a large toaster oven and use it ONLY for sterilization. You can use a loose aluminum foil tent to cover any openings in glassware. This is the method I’ve used for years and it’s worked great.

 

[Sampei]

Also keep in mind, most people who are sterilizing glass want it to look clean. So either dry sterilization (oven or toaster oven) or an autoclave WITH A DRYING cycle option. Most cheap autoclaves don’t have a drying cycle. This led me to seek a name brand autoclave from a legitimate medical supply company by using a friend who has medical credentials and a vets office to hide my identity.


Your best bet if you have limited options is a large toaster oven and use it ONLY for sterilization. You can use a loose aluminum foil tent to cover any openings in glassware. This is the method I’ve used for years and it’s worked great.

yea but I don't really care about the glass looking clean, what I care is that they are sterilized isn't it?

Can you link me an oven like the one you suggest to understand better? Is that sterilization the same? is it longer?

You need 232c for dry sterilization and it's longer, some materials can't withstand that temperature and that would break them or melt them. that's why pressure sterilization would be better.

For 'moist' heat, temperatures of approximately 121–129 °C with pressure are used, whereas 'dry' heat requires temperatures from 176 to 232 °C for longer duration. The high temperatures with long heating times limit this technique to metallic packages or packages out of plastic laminates that can withstand much heat.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

@narta @Spaceman Spiff @dirthand

Sorry dude, idk.


I buy presterilized vials

 

[nightprowler7]

yea but I don't really care about the glass looking clean, what I care is that they are sterilized isn't it?

Can you link me an oven like the one you suggest to understand better? Is that sterilization the same? is it longer?

You need 232c for dry sterilization and it's longer, some materials can't withstand that temperature and that would break them or melt them. that's why pressure sterilization would be better.

For 'moist' heat, temperatures of approximately 121–129 °C with pressure are used, whereas 'dry' heat requires temperatures from 176 to 232 °C for longer duration. The high temperatures with long heating times limit this technique to metallic packages or packages out of plastic laminates that can withstand much heat.

I think you should do some more research. Pyrex glass can withstand much higher than 550F, and several sources here use that method.

And yeah, it does kinda matter. Buy a pressure cooker, put distilled water in it, and see how dirty it is by the end of the cycle.

What metallics and plastic laminates? You sterilize glass this way. If you’re talking about vial stoppers it’s pretty common knowledge people don’t put those in the oven and use isopropyl alcohol bath. And you don’t use autoclave bags in dry heat.

You’re asking questions to stuff you don’t know the answer to then following it up with answers, so maybe just learn the old fashioned way by wasting money like most people do? You seem determined to do so apparently.

 

[Sampei]

I think you should do some more research. Pyrex glass can withstand much higher than 550F, and several sources here use that method.

And yeah, it does kinda matter. Buy a pressure cooker, put distilled water in it, and see how dirty it is by the end of the cycle.

What metallics and plastic laminates? You sterilize glass this way. If you’re talking about vial stoppers it’s pretty common knowledge people don’t put those in the oven and use isopropyl alcohol bath. And you don’t use autoclave bags in dry heat.

You’re asking questions to stuff you don’t know the answer to then following it up with answers, so maybe just learn the old fashioned way by wasting money like most people do? You seem determined to do so apparently.

I was talking clearly of not only glass but stopper for example, I know well that borosilicate duran glass for example are certified for a lot higher temperatures then 232c
Isopropyl bath are not enough for sterilizing, as isopropyl alcohol can't kill mold for example and other stuff you need other chemicals and placing everything in a pressure canner is a lot simpler and faster isn't it?

https://frederick.cancer.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/Preparation_of_Vials%2C_Stoppers%2C_and_Crimps_for_CGMP_Filling_of_Final_Product.pdf

Vials with Stopper & Seal, Sterile | Vials & Accessories

A leader in pharmaceutical compounding, MEDISCA supports pharmacists by providing equipment, devices and quality-assured ingredients. Learn more.

www.medisca.com

vials are dry heat sterilized and STOPPERS ARE STEAM STERILIZED

They do sterilize stoppers in autoclave for example it seems. Not in iso bath.

I think you can cover the glass opening with tin foil so that you have no condensation inside and the glass should be dry and sterilized at the end of the cycle, is a lot faster compared to dry sterilization too.

Of course you don't use autoclave bags for dry sterilization, why would you, makes no sense.

So do you have an example for me of what kind of oven to use? I'm happy to do both, dry sterilization for glasses and steam for stoppers etc.
Too bad small vials are not pyrex and so they will probably not sustain well a dry sterilization but I could be wrong. Big media bottle of borosilicate and beakers will sustain the dry heat sterilization for sure

 

[narta]

Too bad small vials are not pyrex and so they will probably not sustain well a dry sterilization

Opt for molded glass ones, they are thicker and can withstand more heat. Just let them cool gradually in the oven.

What breaks glass is sudden temp changes not high temps

 

[Sampei]

Opt for molded glass ones, they are thicker and can withstand more heat. Just let them cool gradually in the oven.

What breaks glass is sudden temp changes not high temps

But I need a pressure cooker to sterilize the stopper anyway, so wouldn't it be better to do everything in the pressure cooker?

One thing that one can do with the pressure cooker is to buy one of those top filter media bottle setup that are not a one time use but have a filter membrane that you can change every time and you just need to sterilize the whole flask + top part.
It cost 200-300 euro the whole thing but then you are set for life just need to keep sterilizing it.

Do i need a specific oven or any oven would work?
I'm just exploring possibilities, I don't probably even need all of this but I like the idea of sterilizing my own vials, media bottles, beakers etc.

 

[narta]

For the stoppers use 20% hydrogen peroxide bath if you can source it after washing them with detergent and rinsing them with distilled water

 

[Sampei]

For the stoppers use 20% hydrogen peroxide bath if you can source it after washing them with detergent and rinsing them with distilled water

not legal above 12% to private individual here

 

[bighunanballs]

70% isopropyl alcohol for stoppers. Or move out of gay ass italy

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

not legal above 12% to private individual here

Can't you just buy presterilized?

 

[Sampei]

Can't you just buy presterilized?

I liked the idea of using media bottle with top filters and other stuff.
can't throw away a media bottle every time I have used it, that would be expensive and so If I was going that route why not doing my own vials as well?

I like 10ml vials but pre-sterilised are expensive compared to 30ml for example unless you do it yourself.

 

[qadsan]

Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization​

Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization

Laboratory science requires careful maintenance of sterile reagents and tools as well as the sterilization of waste prior to disposal. However, steam autoclaves typically used for this purpose may not be readily accessible to everyone in the scientific community, such as K-12 teachers...

journals.plos.org

 

[Sampei]

Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization​

Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization

Laboratory science requires careful maintenance of sterile reagents and tools as well as the sterilization of waste prior to disposal. However, steam autoclaves typically used for this purpose may not be readily accessible to everyone in the scientific community, such as K-12 teachers...

journals.plos.org

Yeah but those are American brands and a research done in America. We don't have canned/pressure cooker culture here in Europe, it's like none of the normal available pressure cooker goes to 15psi lol

 

[bighunanballs]

Yeah but those are American brands and a research done in America. We don't have canned/pressure cooker culture here in Europe, it's like none of the normal available pressure cooker goes to 15psi lol

3rd world problems, amiright?

 

[Sampei]

3rd world problems, amiright?

Ahahahha very funny but not, it's just that we don't use it much and we have strict regulation even for stuff used for cooking so to get a pressure cooker above 10psi you gotta do a lot of shit that manufacturer are not interested in as it's not used much anyway and for food you don't really need those 15+ PSI anyway.

 

[bighunanballs]

Ahahahha very funny but not, it's just that we don't use it much and we have strict regulation even for stuff used for cooking so to get a pressure cooker above 10psi you gotta do a lot of shit that manufacturer are not interested in as it's not used much anyway and for food you don't really need those 15+ PSI anyway.

It's for your own safety, just do what your government says and don't do steroids

 

[Sampei]

It's for your own safety, just do what your government says and don't do steroids

That's not a good joke coming from the USA, steroids are class 3 or worse schedules drugs there, in many places in Europe they are declassified

In UK they are legal to be possessed for example.

I believe Spain has a similar thing and est Europe too.

You ain't triggering me man stop it ahahah