Ensuring ISO Class 5 Compliance for Reliable Incubation Performance

In contamination-sensitive applications such as biomedical research, pharmaceutical production, and aseptic processing, even the smallest external factor can jeopardize results. Labs routinely monitor temperature, humidity and CO₂ concentration, yet one critical element is still often overlooked: the purity of the air inside the incubator.

Every time the incubator door opens, room air floods inside. Along with it comes dust, aerosolized droplets, and microorganisms. These particles can settle onto culture vessels long before the incubator stabilizes again. That leads to inconsistent growth, unexpected behavior in sensitive cells, and costly contamination events. It only takes a few seconds of exposure to undo hours or even days of careful work.

This challenge becomes bigger in facilities with frequent sample access. Without a fast-acting air cleanliness recovery system, contamination risk remains unnecessarily high.

Clean Air, Proven Performance

Esco conducted an air cleanliness test on two CO₂ incubator models: CCL-170B-8-TS and CCL-240B-8-HHS-TS. The study followed ISO 14644-1 Cleanliness Class standards, the same benchmark used to define cleanroom classifications.

Both the CCL-170B-8-TS and CCL-240B-8-HHS-TS models demonstrated a significant reduction in particle concentrations over six minutes. For the CCL-170B-8-TS, the initial 5,360,297 particles/m³ (≥0.3 µm) at minute 1 decreased drastically to 147 particles/m³ by minute 6, with complete elimination of ≥3.0 µm and ≥5.0 µm particles.

Similarly, the CCL-240B-8-HHS-TS started with 3,152,403 particles/m³ (≥0.3 µm) and dropped to 2,120 particles/m³ by minute 6, also showing substantial reductions across larger particle sizes, some reaching zero by the end of the test.

These results indicate that both incubator models effectively reduce airborne particle concentrations in a short duration, successfully achieving the cleanliness thresholds set by ISO Class 5 standards. It delivers not only precision temperature and CO₂ control but also superior air quality to maintain integrity.

Why ISO Class 5 Matters

ISO Class 5 is a widely accepted standard for clean air in environments where contamination must be kept to an absolute minimum. It means the air contains extremely few particles, similar to what you would find in cleanrooms used for high-risk work such as sensitive cell cultures, pharmaceuticals and medical device production.

When your incubator can reach ISO Class 5 cleanliness inside the chamber, you are giving your cells the same protection they would get in a controlled cleanroom space. This helps keep contaminants away from your cultures, reduces the chances of failed experiments and makes results more consistent.

Cleaner air means cleaner outcomes for your research.

To reach this high level of clean-air protection, CelCulture® Touch CO₂ incubators are built with air quality in mind, supported by engineering features designed to reduce contamination risk:

• ULPA filtration that captures 99.999% of particles ≥0.12 µm This is 10 times more efficient than standard HEPA filters.
• Directed airflow design that eliminates stagnant zones where particles can settle.
• Electropolished, easy-clean interior that resists buildup and supports better. hygiene.

CelCulture® Touch CO₂ Incubator

Designed to provide a stable and contamination-free environment with precise heating and rapid recovery, the CelCulture® Touch CO₂ Incubator delivers optimum contamination control for reliable results. With an easy-to-use touchscreen controller, its incubation assistance simplifies lab work—even during the busiest days. Maintenance is also hassle-free, thanks to innovative, modern technology that keeps your incubator performing at its best.

Precision. Reliability. The right incubation support for demanding lab environments.

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