In the latest edition (2016) of the Basic Practical Microbiology Manual from the Microbiology Society, all the aseptic procedures are carried on near a Bunsen burner. This is the common practice I've seen for yeast cultures.
However, while working with HEK cells, I've used a laminar flow hood to avoid contamination of cultures.
In the case of yeast cultures, would it be advisable to work with a laminar flow hood, or is it always best to work near a Bunsen burner?
The first drawback I'd claim about using a laminar flow hood while working with yeast is that you can't use a Bunsen burner inside the hood, so it would make flaming difficult.
Could you give me your opinion/experience about this? Thank you!
Either should be fine. People were using bunsen burners for years in microbiology, long before laminar flow hoods were invented. But both work fine.
The Bunsen burner approach is more prone to contamination and there is always the small risk of it being a fire hazard. You can always use autoclaved toothpicks for picking colonies which are disposable or use ethanol or a hot plate with boiling water to sterilize your tools.
You can use bunsen burners within laminar hoods, especially those that already have gas access ports installed within. Also there are portable burners available that you can fill with butane and work with.
This is a false comparison - these serve different purposes. In a reasonably controlled lab environment and with aseptic technique, bunsen burner loop sterilization should adequately prevent contamination of your cultures - with or without a hood. If using a laminar flow hood, you should prob use presterilized loops - bunsen burners can disturb laminar air flow.
Portable burners that are tuned to a powerful and small flame, such as disposable lighters, are available on the market, and I recommend that you use them. In addition, the vertical laminar flow type is recommended for the clean bench from a safety point of view.
Dear Diana,
I think that all of the answers above are reasonable but none have mentioned directly another factor – what is the air quality like in your laboratory? I have worked in university labs in warm and humid places, where mould was always a problem, in which case a laminar flow cabinet with a good filter would be very useful, and in colder drier places where we never seem to have problems with air-born spores, and where a bunsen that can be moved around to suit may be a better option.
Andrew
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