Removing Protein from Cell Culture Containers

Q. What do you recommend for removing protein from cell culture containers?

A. To clean cell culture containers and remove protein, use a freshly made 1-2% Tergazyme® Enzyme-Active Powdered Detergent (1.25 – 2.5 oz/gal or 10 – 20 g/L) with warm water (less than 130F / 55C).  Tergazyme detergent is a concentrated, anionic detergent with protease enzymes that provide excellent proteinaceous residue removal as well as powerful emulsifiers for organic and oily residues.

After soaking, rinse thoroughly with water. Depending on the amount of protein build up, some light scrubbing or longer soaking may be required.

Warm water as opposed to hot water ensures that the enzymes are not denatured.  We do recommend that the detergent, once made  into solution is used within 8 hours to ensure maximum enzymatic activity.  Higher detergent concentrations can be explored to increase capacity for highly soiled cell culture applications.

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Contact us any time: cleaning@alconox.com