A craft yeast laboratory improves sterility, throughput, and confidence in yeast production with the TOMY SX Series Autoclave.
Beer formulation begins with a single-celled microorganism, yeast. Different yeast strains, such as top-fermenting yeast and bottom-fermenting yeast, create the different flavor profiles found across popular beer styles. Sterile yeast production is crucial in brewing high-quality craft beer. Preventing contamination from unwanted microorganisms, such as wild yeast, ensures consistent flavors from batch to batch. This commitment to quality control directly impacts the final flavor profile of the beer.
At a craft yeast laboratory, sterility is one of the most significant parts of the process. Working with other breweries, distilleries, and analytical labs, quality control is an important focus for their team. We spoke with Giarratano about his experience using the TOMY SX Series Autoclave. Our interview below is edited for formatting.
The Challenge: Maintaining Sterility
TOMY USA: What are the biggest challenges in yeast production?
Lab Representative: My biggest challenge is keeping everything sterile. We have to work at a higher level of sterility than our customers do in breweries. Therefore, ensuring everything is heated to the proper temperature and is sterile is the main focus of our work.
The Solution: TOMY SX Series Autoclaves
TOMY USA: How have the TOMY SX Series Autoclaves helped in your process of keeping production sterile?
Lab Representative: It is a game changer. It saves us time with its automated design and high capacity. We are autoclaving as much volume as we possibly can per run. The double-stack baskets within the deep autoclave enable us to autoclave quite a bit more volume per run. The automated design lets us set it and forget it. We can run the cycle overnight and see the cycle completed properly. It has been really easy to use.
- Smaller batches
- Manual monitoring
- Longer turnaround
- Higher capacity (deep chamber)
- “Set & forget” automation
- Overnight completion
Why TOMY? Reliability & Capacity
TOMY USA: What are the main reasons for choosing TOMY Autoclaves?
Lab Representative: We needed something robust, with little maintenance, that could provide enough capacity. The cylindrical design with top loading works great for our needs. We’ve had one of our four autoclaves for 7 years, and the only maintenance we needed to do was change the lid gasket and the exhaust bottle. Other than that, I’ve never had a problem.
Attention to Detail: Designed for Every Lab
TOMY USA: What are your suggestions for improving TOMY products and services?
Lab Representative: The lead time was a bit longer than expected, as we needed units that could work in high elevation. However, TOMY was the first company to inform us that elevation was an important factor for proper sterilization. I’ve spoken with other labs that have problems in their sterilization process because their autoclaves were not adjusted for higher elevation, and I don’t think they factored that in. TOMY’s awareness of that detail made a big difference in our experience.
The Results: Efficiency & Confidence
The team at the craft yeast laboratory finds the TOMY SX Series Autoclaves to be a valuable tool for saving time and ensuring the high level of sterility required for yeast quality control. The deep chamber design allows for larger loads per cycle, maximizing efficiency. Easy to operate and low maintenance, the SX Series is a perfect fit for fast-paced, high-performance environments.
- Deep chamber design allows larger loads per cycle
- Overnight runs free up staff time
- 7+ years of reliable use with minimal maintenance
- Improved sterility and consistency for yeast production
Ready to improve sterility in your brewing or lab?
Learn More About TOMY SX Series Autoclaves