Laboratory Cold Storage Temperature Guide

All laboratories have a huge storage of biological samples and different solutions that require proper storage. Speaking of storage, the best temperature for storing any solution or reagent mainly depends on its use, the suspension buffer and it’s time duration. Failing to store the samples at their given temperatures can result in inaccurate results. Proper storage practices are extremely important for any laboratory.

Read this cold storage temperature guide to learn some useful tips for maintaining your labs:

Room Temperature- Above 200C

There are some reagents and samples that can be stored at room temperature, for an indefinite time duration. The best example of this are tissues that are immersed in alcohol or other solutions. These samples that are stored at room temperatures are used for anatomy tests and histology. However, the DNA and RNA that comes from these samples aren’t reliable because all molecular biology products are to be kept in freezing temperatures.

Refrigerated Storage at Around 40C

Biological reagents and buffers that are used on daily basis should be kept in refrigerators. Some common examples include enzymes, buffers, and cell culture media. The blood samples collected from patients are also stored in refrigerators but shouldn’t be kept for long. Most laboratories have big cold rooms that maintain 40C temperature, allowing certain experiments and incubation to be conducted conveniently.

There are certain reagents that do not remain integrated if frozen again and again. Therefore, it is best to keep them refrigerated.

Freezing Temperature Below 200C

Freezers are a vital part of any laboratory. This is because these freezers are good for storing all types of biochemical substances and reagents that cannot survive in warm temperatures. If your laboratory has limited space, you can bring in refrigerator towers that have two compartments – a fridge and a freezer. Freezers are generally used to keep samples that need storing for short durations or are used very frequently. Some common examples of such samples include peptides, antibodies, RNAs, and tissues. Do note that if you want to store a sample for a longer duration, you will need a very low-temperature freezer.

Ultra-Low Freezing Temperatures (-800C)

If you want to keep your biological chemicals and substances for longer periods, it’s best to have them stored in ultra-low temperature freezers. These extreme temperatures help proteins, nucleic acids and other big sized molecules remain in their original shape.
Ever since the experimental techniques have improved and the need to store samples has seen significant growth, most labs have made huge freezer rooms, also known as freezer farms. These freezer farms have alarm systems connected that will notify the concerned people about any kind of failure. Some big scale laboratories also have liquid nitrogen tanks that act as backups when the electricity goes out.

Liquid Nitrogen Storage (-1960C)

To store sensitive samples and avoiding them from degradation, liquid nitrogen storage is recommended. Moreover, for long term cryogenic storage of samples, this temperature is the most suitable.
The liquid nitrogen tanks are mostly used to store cells and a big quantity of vials that are mandatory per line of cells that need various aliquots to be frozen in several spaces.

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