Factors affecting media and oil temperature in Petri dishes

Controlling media temperature in Petri dishes during manipulation is challenging, even when using heated surfaces. Measuring only the temperature of these heated surfaces is insufficient because the interaction between heated and non-heated areas affects the media's temperature. Factors such as surface temperatures, their relative sizes, evaporation, heat radiation, heat transfer, and the design and arrangement of the dishes all contribute to this complexity.

Standard calibration procedures for heating equipment often overlook these critical factors. To achieve precise media temperature control, it is essential to calibrate the heating equipment under actual operational conditions. By integrating temperature sensors directly into Petri dishes and using these sensor-equipped dishes filled with media and oil, you can better calibrate the heating equipment, ensuring accurate temperature control.

• Calibrate heating equipment using dish probes filled with media and oil.
A thin needle sensor probe integrated into Petri dishes measures the media temperature. The sensor tip is 1mm above the dish surface.

• Calibrate heating equipment using dish probes filled with only oil.
A thin, flexible sensor probe is attached to the bottom of the Petri dish, measuring the temperature of the dish's bottom surface in the presence of oil.