Bead Beater Vs High Pressure Homogenization: Which Method Should You Choose For Your Specific Needs?

 

The homogenisation technique is a fast-growing field and plays a crucial role in varied industries like pharmaceutical, chemical, biotech, cosmetic, and food. Wondering what it does? It involves mixing, blending, emulsifying, and finally dispersing or disrupting the sample particles to change their size and ensure that results are consistent.

When categorising homogenisation, you will come across three categories like ultrasonic homogenisation, high pressure homogenisation, and bead beater homogenisation, in reality, most of them fall into the category of high pressure and beater beating homogenisers. So, you need to learn the differences between these two categories so that you can pick the right one that suits your needs.

 

Bead beating homogeniser – things to know

You are aware that homogenisation is a significant step in various industrial and scientific procedures. From cell disruption to sample preparation and reducing the sample size, you can choose between bead beating and high pressure homogeniser. That’s why you need to understand the differences between these two homogenisation techniques to find out which one is more suitable for different applications. Let’s begin with the bead beater tissue homogeniser and understand what it involves:

Bead beating homogenisation uses a grinding media or beads. In this method, the sample is placed in a vessel or tube with the beads and the mixture is vigorously agitated using the bead beater. As the beads combine with the sample, an impact or mechanical force acts upon it, leading to the breakdown of particles or cells. It is an excellent technique for processing samples of tissues to be used for R&D or laboratories. The reasons why a bead beater homogeniser is preferred is its consistent and quick performance.  However, it might not work for large sample sizes as it operates within a closed system. Read here to know when you must choose this method:

• Bead beating homogenisation is a highly effective method for processing several samples in one go.
• The process occurs within a closed tube or vessel, reducing the chances of aerosol creation and limited user exposure
• As the samples are disrupted using a combination of bead and tube, the risk of cross-contamination can be reduced greatly
• The technique is most appropriate for samples containing infectious, toxic, and hazardous substances.
• Beads of different sizes are used based on the applications
• The bead beating technique is a highly effective method for extracting smaller molecules like proteins, nucleic acids, recovering live cells, and extracting dissociate tissues.
• Large beads are suitable for breaking down dense samples whereas smaller beads are just right for cellular components.

 

Why use bead beater homogeniser?

Here is why you must use a bead beating technique for homogenising samples:

1. Bead beating technique can be used for processing solid and liquid samples
2. As it can process several samples at a given time, the method is suitable for high intake usage
3. You can choose from different types of beads based on the application of bead beater homogenizer colony
   
4. Closed tubs reduce the risk of cross-contamination and reduces the risk of aerosol formation
5. A few units can be suitably used for hazardous and infectious materials, which increase the application for which the technology is used.
6. Bead beating process can be performed using various solutions and buffers, making it just right for different applications

 

Disadvantages of bead beater homogeniser

• Bead beater homogenisers are good for managing small samples as each tube can only hold a few grams or millilitres of samples
• As the process involves vigorous shaking, small amounts of bead materials often move to the sample
• The process often creates a lot of noise
• A few models may need proprietary tubes, which increases the costs in the long run, especially for high intake applications
• Generates heat due to friction between sample and beads
• Samples often stick to the tube walls or beads, causing loss during the process of homogenisation
• It is not suitable for large-scale applications

 

High pressure homogenisation: what you need to know

 The high pressure homogeniser is a technique where liquid samples move in a  narrow channel under high pressure conditions. When high pressure and shear force is applied to samples, the efficiency of disruption improves greatly. Besides, the process brings in additional forces, resulting in better emulsification of the product.

High pressure homogenisers are appropriate for handling large applications compared to bead homogenisers. Different units have different capacities and features, resulting in better homogenisation.

 

Advantages of high pressure homogenisers

1. High pressure homogenisers are just right for processing large-sized liquid samples
2. With them, disruption of the smallest size of samples can be made possible
3. You can keep feeding various samples into the unit continuously into the unit, which may mean that there is no limitation in terms of sample sizes
4. Due to the flexibility of the procedure high pressure homogenisation is the best technique to be used for a higher range of applications
5. They have cooling systems for controlling temperature during the homogenisation process

 

Disadvantages of high pressure homogenisers

Despite its potential for homogenisation of large liquid samples, high pressure homogenisation technique has a fair share of disadvantages.

• Unlike bead beater homogenisers these units are not capable of handling various samples at the same time and consistently, making it less efficient for high intake applications
• These units are heavy and moving them around the laboratory is difficult
• High pressure homogenisers take longer to clean
• These units are generally more expensive and can be only used for processing large samples
• They may not be suitable for processing highly viscous samples due to equipment limitations

So, here is a snapshot of bead beating and high pressure techniques used for homogenisation of samples in the laboratory. To buy the best-quality industrial, research, and academic laboratory equipment, stop at https://www.igenels.com/  to meet your working demands.