Precision in the laboratory is not an abstraction but a necessity since the work is carried out in a highly technical manner. In every experiment conducted, be it basic or advanced, two things must be accomplished: proper technique and samples that are free from interference should be attained to give credible results. When looking at the instruments that contribute to this accuracy, it is possible to speak about sterile tips, which are the true hidden champions. These basic parts play a very significant role in ensuring that each transfer of the fluids is as clean as well as accurate as possible. These tips are vital in ensuring that cross-contamination is avoided and the validity of experiments preserved which makes them vital in many scientific activities. In a field where even a slight difference could be the decider, the knowledge of these tools can go a long way to explaining why their use cannot be ruled out in a laboratory setting.
A Pipette tip is small and disposable accessories, which are placed on pipettes, and serve for transferring liquids in definite amounts. The accuracy and reliability of the liquid handling is only as good as the pipette tips used, depending on the type of pipette tip used it will vary.
Sterile tips are used while non-sterile tips are not used in those procedures that require sterility
Automatically tip dispensing sterile pipettes are manufactured and regulated so that they are free from viable microbial existence. Non-sterile tips are not disinfected to this standard and may be contaminated with residual bacteria, and other pathogens. This distinction between these two types of tips is very significant in laboratory settings.
This must always raise a lot of questions on the degree of preliminary contamination in any experiment to be conducted. Experiments may be contaminated by microorganisms, chemicals, or particles, which may alter, eliminate, or have adverse effects on experiments. Sterile pipette tips are essential for::
Microbial Contamination: Sterile tips assist in preventing contamination by microbes since these are capable of greatly affecting the samples, particularly in microbiological assays, cell culture experiments, or any other work that involves sensitive biological samples.
Cross-Contamination: In multi-sample procedures, the use of a pipette with a sterile tip is useful in preventing contamination of one substance by another substance from other samples that are also being tested, thus maintaining the samples’ purity.
The principles of scientific research are the repeatability and the precision of the outcomes that are achieved. The use of sterile tips helps maintain the integrity of experiments by ensuring that: The following are some of the reasons why sterile pipette tip is essential in the maintenance of the experiments:
Some of the contamination that can be prevented by Sterile Tips are as follows;
Biological Contaminants
The interference of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in experiments can cause the alteration of results. None of these pathogens can be injected into cultures or samples through the use of sterile pipette tips.
Chemical Contaminants
Non-sterile tips may be contaminated with chemicals used during manufacturing or with chemicals from previous uses. This risk is avoided in sterile tips prepared under a clean environment and without any chemicals allowed to interfere with the samples.
Cross-Contamination from Previous Samples
Even if some amount of the carryover was in the previous sample it could be a very small amount and yet this is sufficient to contaminate the current sample. Regarding the cross-contamination of the samples by a previous specimen, it is unattainable when a new and sterile tip is used to collect each sample.
For instance in microbiology when the goal is to determine the characteristics of microorganisms, even a little contamination can lead to inaccurate findings. Sterile tips are used in the following techniques among others; manipulation of culture media, streaking, and dilution methods.
Molecular biology techniques involve the use of nucleic acids such as the DNA or RNA and these are easily contaminated materials. It is used to prevent the sample from getting contaminated by other nucleic acids during a particular process such as PCR or sequencing to mention but a few.
Cell culture work entails maintaining the cells isolated from the external environment to let the cells develop unhampered by other microorganisms.
As for analytical chemistry, it is important to measure and handle chemicals quantitatively to achieve high accuracy in results. Sterile tips are used in a manner that reduces the chances of contamination of reagents and samples which may in turn interfere with chemical test results.
Disposable sterile tips, which are used in pipettes, are prepared in a clean environment that comprises clean room class 100,000 where factors such as air, temperature, and humidity are well controlled. This environment assists in lowering the risk of contamination at the time of production.
The most common sterilization methods used for pipette tips include: The common sterilization techniques used on the tip of pipette include:
Gamma Radiation: Effective in eliminating microorganisms hence ensuring that pipettes do not possess any form of microbial life.
Ethylene Oxide Gas: Applicable for its effectiveness in penetrating the packaging and cleaning the tips adequately without the development of residues.
Autoclaving: Another technique of sterilization is autoclaving though this is not very common in pipette tips due to the packaging.
Sterile tips are usually purchased in pre-packed, sealed, and sterile packs as a way of ensuring that they do not get contaminated again. They should be stored in the right manner so that they can be as sterile as possible when they are needed in the process.
Automated pipettes are considered to be important in determining the validity of experiments conducted in laboratories, especially sterile pipettes. These tips assist in reducing contamination from biological, chemical, and cross-contamination sources, they ensure that the research done is accurate, can be repeated, and is done safely. The quality of manufacturing and packaging of sterilize pipette tips is revealed to make a point that they are useful in improving good laboratory practices. They are slightly costly compared to the regular ones but the ability to protect from contamination as well as the accuracy of data makes them essential apparel in any laboratory.
Non-sterile tips can be contaminated by the manufacturing process and introduce contaminants into the experiment while sterile tips have all microbes and contaminants removed by the treatment process.
MPS sterile pipette tips are packed in a sealed fashion and under sterile conditions to avoid contact with any contaminants. This reduces their chances of getting contaminated and therefore remaining sterile.
No, sterile tips must be used only once in a pipetting operation so that they do not contaminate the sample. Using them again, even when washed, may affect your outcome.
