Even with 50mL centrifuge tube, easily evaporated! Multiple samples can be run at one time - no need to worry if samples increased in the future for HPLC pretreatment.
In this issue, we interviewed Mr. K, who is engaging a plant factory business.
(Interviewee: Mr. K, a manufacturer)
┃Business
Plant factories are resource-saving and they can bring harvest of vegetables regardless of climate. They also have the value of improving the functional ingredients in vegetables by adjusting the growing environment. As for my work, I use HPLC to search and analyze the functional ingredients in vegetables grown in plant factories.
┃How did you come to install Smart Evaporator and how has it been used since then?
When we decided to start new analysis work by HPLC, we were also considering the methods for the sample pretreatment (solvent removal/concentration). At that time, a distributor brought us a catalog of SmartEvaporator, and we were interested in the fact that any type of container could be used without bumping. We actually visited Biochromato bringing our own samples to try out the concentration by the Smart Evaporator K4 demo unit, and found it very easy to operate! As we had no previous experience with concentrators, so ease of use was an important factor on equipment choosing. Also, it was attractive for us that four samples could be concentrated at the same time, so we decided to install the system.
┃Experimental conditions for concentration
| Installation site | : | Installed in a draft in the laboratory. From the pump an exhaust hose was extended, and the main unit and the end of the hose were placed in the draft. |
| Solvent name/ volume | : | 80% ethanol or ether, 10mL each |
| Container type/volume | : | 50mL centrifuge tube |
| Temperature setting | : | 70°C |
| Working time | : | 80% ethanol can be concentrated in about 1 hour and ether in about 5 minutes. ※ As ethanol contains water, it takes longer. |
┃Impressions on actual use of Smart Evaporator
<Advantages>
- Simple operation, recommended for first-time users of the evaporator.
- Multiple samples can be concentrated at one time, no need to worry if the samples increased in the future.
- Less man-hours because preferred containers such as centrifuge tubes can be used directly for concentration.
<Issues>
- Now we have a rough idea of the time needed for concentration, it would be nice to have some kind of function as a timer, to stop the system automatically.
- On adjusting the air flow by releasing the valve, I would like to have some kind of guide or scale.
- I'm a little concerned about beads are spilling out.
Summary
Thank you very much, Mr. K, for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview. We are honored to know the Smart Evaporator is helping you in your very meaningful research on functional ingredients in the vegetables you produce, as a new added value of a plant factory. We also appreciate your comments regarding the automatic stop timer, the airflow adjustment guideline, and the beads spilling. As an immediate measure, we suggest replacing the bead bath with a custom-made block with a hole of the size of a 50-mL centrifuge tube. We hope to continue to contribute for the reduction of research man-hours in your future plan that the number of vegetable varieties and yields will be increased and the number of samples to be analyzed will be increased. We will continue to strive to meet your expectations and look forward to working with you in the future.
■Interested in what Smart Evaporator is? You can learn from here!