FAQs

Yes! We offer solutions for nearly all shake flask bioprocesses, including those using baffled flasks. The MPS system supports baffled flasks for biomass and fluorescence measurements. For dissolved oxygen (DO) monitoring, we developed a specialized solution — the DO Nanoparticles — which now works seamlessly with baffled flasks.

We measure biomass using backscattered light detection. While this is not the same as optical density (OD₆₀₀), it provides detailed insights into your organism’s growth. To learn more about the differences between biomass monitoring methods, read our article here. Thanks to its high data density and non-invasive measurement principle, this approach delivers real-time, high-resolution growth curves that reveal in-depth information about your culture.

Oxygen limitation is a common issue, especially with fast-growing microorganisms, and can negatively affect your bioprocess. These effects are often unspecific, which means oxygen limitations may go unnoticed. Measuring oxygen availability in your culture can help identify and address the problem.

If you detect oxygen limitation, the following quick fixes may help:

• Reduce the fill volume Increase shaking speed or shaking diameter
• Avoid tight flask closures (like aluminium foil) to allow sufficient gas exchange
• Reduce the amount of carbon source or switch to a fed-batch process instead of batch
• Use baffled flasks to improve mixing and oxygen transfer
  

Fed-batch cultivation involves providing substrate to your organisms gradually, adjusting the feed to match their growth rate, rather than adding the entire carbon source at the start. This approach has several benefits, as some cultures do not tolerate high initial concentrations of carbon source well, and controlled feeding can improve metabolism and product titer.

To implement fed-batch in your shake flask, we recommend using the Liquid Injection System (LIS). You can tailor the feeding profile to your needs — for example, using single-shot or continuous feeding. The feeding can also be triggered based on growth rate or other relevant parameters to optimize your culture performance. Learn more on our Application Page. 

We want to provide solutions that fit into the infrastructure you are already using, without the need to change your established systems. Our sensors can be easily adapted to a variety of shake flasks and shakers and are simple to integrate. The only requirement is our adapters, which attach directly to your shaker, making setup quick and straightforward.

The DOTS Platform is fully modular, allowing you to choose exactly which parameters and how many flasks you want to monitor. You can also expand your setup at any time by adding additional modules. The Multiparameter Sensor (MPS) is the core component of the platform. It is required for monitoring biomass, fluorescence, and dissolved oxygen (DO). For DO measurements specifically, an additional DO Sensor — such as DO Pills or DO Nanoparticles — is also needed.

The only exception is when using the Liquid Injection System (LIS) for feeding; In that case, you only need the LIS and the DOTS Software. The DOTS Software is always required, as it manages and visualizes all data from connected sensors.

We ship in many countries and work with a number of distribution partners. To find the sales representative for your region, please see this list.

The system is a low-maintenance system and works reliably over a long period of time without the need to calibrate or technical service, when used correctly. We offer paid services for functional testing and recalibration, if you feel this is needed.

Live monitoring provides real-time insights into your process, allowing you to adjust conditions as needed to optimize culture growth, product titer, and quality. It also helps you better understand your culture by enabling direct comparison between runs, improving reproducibility and supporting more reliable scale-up.

Yes. Changes in monitored parameters can often reflect metabolic activity. For example, shifts in biomass, dissolved oxygen (DO), fluorescence, or pH can indicate changes in growth rate, substrate consumption, or product formation. While these signals do not directly measure specific metabolites, they provide valuable indirect insights into the metabolic state of your culture and help you identify key process phases or limitations in real time.