The French pressure cell press, or French press, is a piece of equipment used in laboratories to disrupt cell walls and cell membranes. The French press consists of a hydraulic pump that drives a piston. The piston forces the liquid sample through a tiny valve under high pressure.
As the sample passes through the valve, the cells experience shear stress, resulting in cellular disruption. Also, as the cells move through the valve, they experience decompression and subsequently expand and rupture.
French press cell lysis is a technique commonly used for lysing bacterial cells, and other microorganisms for isolation of proteins and other cellular components. The shortcomings of French press cell lysis include:
- Small sample size – This means low throughput. Even the larger units can only process around 40ml of sample at a time.
- Expensive - A French press costs upwards of $3,500. With such a low throughput, this equipment is expensive relative to the volume of sample that can be processed.
- Pre-processing required - For many samples, pre-homogenization is necessary before using the French press.
- Tends to clog – Due to the tiny valve, the French press tends to clog easily, especially with more viscous samples.
- Not user-friendly – The French press is somewhat bulky, awkward to manipulate and difficult to clean.
High Pressure Homogenization for Cell Lysis
Homogenizers are the most efficient fluid processing equipment for cell lysis. BEE high pressure homogenizers from Pion are able to gently lyse a wide variety of cells. Our proprietary modular technology allows you to control the process of cell lysis, depending on your sample type.
We offer high pressure homogenizers for the laboratory, pilot plant units, large units for production facilities, and customized homogenizer solutions. Pion's patented technology utilizes ALL available mechanical forces for efficient cell lysis: including cavitation, shear and impact. Process intensity is adjustable from 2,000 - 45,000 psi / 150 - 3100 bar.
All of our equipment is always easy to operate and to clean; and produces a higher yield cell lysis in a shorter time. We guarantee reproducibility and scalability from laboratory and pilot scale up to our industrial units.
