LAB Microbiology Electric Bunsen Burner

Quick Answer: The LAB Microbiology Electric Bunsen Burner is an electric heater used in place of a gas Bunsen burner for aseptic technique. The listing photo shows a heating unit inside a dark green perforated cage with a carrying handle, into which wire loops and the mouths of culture tubes are brought for sterilising heat.

Built Around Aseptic Technique

Microbiology practicals use a burner for two reasons: to sterilise wire loops and tube mouths, and to set up the rising column of warm air that teachers rely on to carry airborne contaminants away from open plates. This microbiology electric Bunsen burner is aimed at the first job and supports the second, without an open flame beside students’ sleeves and alcohol wash bottles.

In the photo the heater sits inside a tall, dark green cage of vertical bars with a white carrying handle on one side, and a heating block is visible within. The cage lets a loop or the neck of a culture tube be brought into the heat while keeping knuckles at a safe distance. A loop held in the hot zone until the whole wire glows red has been sterilised; if a unit does not bring the wire to a glow, a longer dwell time is needed, following the maker’s instructions.

For general heating, the squat LAB 2 electric Bunsen burner is the simpler choice. For this microbiology model, the glassware support listed for the LAB Microbio burner adds a perforated plate on which a small vessel can be warmed above the heat.

Microbiology Tasks

• Sterilising nichrome or platinum inoculating loops between streaks when plating bacteria or yeast
• Passing the mouths of culture tubes and flasks through the heat before and after transfers
• Keeping an aseptic zone at a teaching bench in a lab that has no gas supply
• Supervised microbiology open days where an open flame near visitors is undesirable

Care & Handling

• Place the burner so the loop hand reaches it without crossing open plates, and keep ethanol bottles well away from the cage.
• Heat a loop that carries culture gradually, starting from the shaft end, so the material dries before it reaches the hottest zone and does not spit.
• Let loops cool for a few seconds before touching colonies; a hot loop kills cells on contact and can spatter them into the air.
• Unplug the unit after the session and wait until the cage is fully cool before storing it.

Specifications

Why Choose LabEquip

Microbiology teaching labs, school biology departments and training centres without piped gas are the natural buyers of this burner. It sits in LabEquip’s chemistry lab equipment range; for a class set, send the number of benches through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an electric burner sterilise an inoculating loop?

Yes, provided the loop is held in the hottest part of the heat zone for long enough. Red heat along the whole wire is the practical sign that the loop is sterile. Allow the wire to cool briefly before it touches a culture.

Does an electric burner create a sterile working area like a gas flame?

Any hot burner sets up rising warm air above it, and many teachers rely on that updraft around a gas flame. It reduces, but does not eliminate, contamination risk. Good technique, such as short lid-opening times and working close to the heat, matters more than the type of burner.

Why use an electric burner instead of a gas flame for microbiology?

An open flame beside the ethanol used to disinfect benches is a real fire risk, and gas flames are hard to see in bright rooms. An electric unit removes the flame and the gas supply, although its heated parts remain hot enough to cause burns and to ignite solvent vapour.

Can I heat the neck of a culture tube with it?

Yes. Pass the open mouth of the tube through the heat zone briefly after removing the cap and again before replacing it. Hold the tube at an angle so that nothing drips into the burner cage.

How should spilled culture be handled if it reaches the burner?

Switch off and unplug the unit and let it cool. Then disinfect the outside of the cage with the disinfectant used in your lab, observing its contact time, and never pour liquid into the heating unit. Report the spill under your lab’s rules.

What accessories go with this burner?

The glassware support listed for the LAB Microbio electric burner adds a perforated plate above the heat, so small vessels can be warmed without being held by hand. Loops and test tube holders need no special fitting.

Last Updated: September 2026