FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR A MODERN …

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FAC I L I T I ES AND EQU I WENT NEEDED FOR A MOOERN RESEARCH LABORATORY

I have been asked t o discuss the subject "FBcili t ies and IQuipment Needed fo r a Modern Research Lsboratory." the 20 minutes that have been assigned for i t s consideration. shall do niy best in that time t o cover most of the items I consider essent ia l and desirable f o r a modern laboratory that i s t o be used for a comprehensive meat research program. In order t o save time I shall. largely confine qy d i s - cussion t o the equipment needed but I wish t o emphasize very strongly, a t the outset , that the usefulness of aw equipment o r piece of laboratory apparatus largely depends on i ts thoughtful arrangement with respect t o other equipment i n the laboratory, given t o the matter of convenience and adequate working space.

That is a rather large order f o r However, I

In se t t ing up a laboratory comiderable thought must be

For ease i n discussing our problem l e t us assume that w e a r e se t t ing out t o equip a new laboratory. We have buildings available, of ade- quate s ize , but they are only empty she l l s and we must decide w h a t equipment we shall need before w e can begin our research work. buildings must be equfpped with w h a t we often c a l l "laboratory servicest1 o r "house l ines." These are hot and cold running water, gas, steam, compressed air , vacuum, e l e c t r i c a l current out le ts , including low voltage d i rec t current i n tha chemical and bacteriological laboratories, and d i s t i l l e d water.

'Ib begin with, our

4

In the processing portion of our laboratory, which I shall discuss very briefly because I think you a re a l l famil iar with its needs, we shall need t o provide adequate slaughtering f a c i l i t i e s fo r c a t t l e , sheep and hogs. These w i l l include a knocking pen f o r c a t t l e with an adequate hoist and rails; a hog shackling pen, hoist , scalding tank and dehairer; and, of course, an inspection table, rails, t rol leys , hooks, and a re l iab le t rack scale.

Adjacent t o the slaughtering area we must have coolers for ch i l l i ng These coolers must be capable of maintaining tempera- and holding carcasses.

tu res of 32' t o 34' F. f o r ch i l l i ng even when f i l l e d wi th hot carcasses. In the same refrigerated area w e shall probably wish t o locate our curing rooms and freezers. t ro l l ab le temperatures from 34°F. t o possibly 65' F. and should be equipped with f a c i l i t i e s for controll ing re la t ive humidity and a i r circulation. If w e contemplate doing research on frozen meat w e should provide freezers capable of maintaining a temperature of at leas t -30° F. In the future we may want t o work a t even lower temperatures, which c$n be provided f o r by insulating the freezers for temperatures i n the -100 F. range so that ad- d i t i ona l cooling co i l s might be added later. Close t o the refrigerated area we must plan a well lighted cut t ing room equipped with adequate tables an3 with a t leas t two scales. One of these should read i n tenths of a pound and one, f o r use i n phys ica laaa lys i s , i n e i ther hundredths of a pound o r grams. Excellent scales graduated i n both units a re available and are w e l l worth t h e i r cost. measures, meter st icks , calipers, skewers, and so for th .

The curing rooms for research purposes, should provide con-

For use i n measuring carcasses we shall need a supply of tape

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In t h i s meat processing sect ion of our laboratory there is need f o r a var ie ty of curing, rendering, and meat preparation equipment that time allows us only to mention in passing. sausage stuffer, brine pump, curing vats and racks, canning equipment, a ren- dering ke t t l e , and a lard press should be provided. is a smoke house equipped with temperature, humidity, and smoke density controls as well a s a supply of smokehouse t r ees and hooks. any serious research on cured meats w e shall a l so need one o r more rooms de- signed for cured meat storage. These rooms must provide controlled tempera- ture, r e l a t ive humidity, and a i r circulat ion i n the range of about 40’ F. t o

A grinder, bsnd saw, s i l en t cu t te r , a hand

Also necessary, of course,

If we contemplate

1000 F.

Let us now consider w h a t I c a l l laboratory equipment i n contradis- This laboratory equipmerrk may be considered

We shall probably begin the work of t h i s section with the

t i nc t ion t o processing equipment. i n 4 sections. The first of these comprises equipment for p b s i c a l and or- ganoleptic tes t ing . determination of meat and f a t color. Bel t sv i l le , the old Bausch & Lomb Color Cornparitor which depends on v isua l comparisons w i t h standard color discs . however, it would be desirable t o provide one of the new Hunter Color Differ- ence Meters that gives supreme accuracy without depending on human judgement. For determining fat consistancy w e s b u l d have a penetrometer. that have become highly useful i n the objective determination of meat qual i ty w i l l be found in t h i s portion of the laboratory. shear for determining tenderness ard bydraulic press, such as the Carver Press, f o r expressable juice. We shall have more t o say about juice when w e come t o the chemical laboratory. equipment is a good thermostatically controlled oven, a hot p la te capable of furnishing a wide temperature range, utensi ls , thermometers, and neutrally colored p la tes fo r serving. t a s t ing panels which have been chosen with careful s t a t i s t i c a l planning.

For t h i s purpose we are s t i l l using, a t

In our new hypothetical laboratory,

Two devices

They are the Warner-Bratzler

For cooking meat for organoleptic tes t ing, desirable

Adequate f a c i l i t i e s must be provided fo r the

The second section of our laboratory set up is the chemical labora- tory. Here the laboratory services previously mentioned a re of paramount im- portance and i n addition t o those f a c i l i t i e s mentioned we must have a source of nitrogen f ree d i s t i l l e d water fo r ammonia determinations and protein work. This w i l l usually be furnished by r e d i s t i l l i n g water i n the laboratory i n glass equipment. blender such a s the popular Waring Blendor for fur ther sample mixture, we begin the ac tua l work of chemical analysis we must remember t h a t most of the glassware, clamps, starads and burners of our student days have been re- placed by standard taper glass apparatus, new a l loy clamps, v a s t l y superior stands, and improved burners and hot plates . The use of any glassware that is not heat r e s i s t an t is, of c o u r ~ e , a false economy. supply of modern volumetric glassware and a good analy t ica l balance. can be governed by the s i ze of our budget. purcbased f o r about $200 but a magnetically dampened chain balance costing two t o three times as much is well worth the money. the other hand, has l i t t l e need for the new, almost completely automatic, balances which are only Justified where numerous routine samples must be handled rapidly. t i a l . These items vary in pr ice Largely with their size and consideration of the proposed work load m u s t govern OUT choice of par t icu lar models, A muffle furnace is needed for ashing. a separate a l l -g lass s t i l l for ammonia determinations is desirable. A good

We shall need a good grinder f o r preparing samples and a When

We sball need ET good Here w e

An adequate instrument can be

The research laboratory, on

A good small laboratory oven and a vacuum oven are essen-

A micro-Kjeldahl apparatus is a necessity and

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pH meter is indispensible. There are now available several reliable so- called "line operated" models that may be adequate for a l l but the most pre- c ise work and w i l l probably serve our purposes. apparatus and a set of Mojonnier extraction flasks are necessit ies for ad- vanced Juice work. expressible juice is more closely related t o juiciness of meat than is the amount of expressible Juice Itself. An Abbe refractometer and a Swift Stab i l i t y Apparatus w i l l a l so be needed. essent ia l that we h v e 8 good colorimeter. T]?e excellent photoelectric in- struments mw on the market, by their increased range and grea te r accuracy, have made the vlsucrl colorimeter obsolete. We should choose a single photo- c e l l instrument that operates with a low voltage light eowce. Colorimeter is generally considered the best research type instrument in t h i s class, but if ow: budget does not permit it, there are many cheaper instru- ments that w i l l give sat isfactory service. A photofluorimeter w i l l also be needed, par t icular ly f o r cer ta in vitamin determinations, If we contemplate much advanced research on meat chemistrg we shall a l so need a spectrophoto- meter. There are several popular instruments now available as stock items. One with a glass prism or d i f f rac t ion grating will be useful f o r many de- terminations and can be purchased for less tbsn $600 although very special work may demand a quartz prism instrument capable of determination i n the u l t rav io le t range, o r even one capable of bath u l t rav io le t a d infrared de- terminations. For highly advanced work, on budgets that few of' us ever en- joy w e would, of course, want t o add an electrophoreses apparatus, graph, an ultracentrifuge, and an electronmicroscope.

A Van-Slyke amino nitrogen

In f ac t , we now believe that the amount of fat in the

Modern chemical methods make it

The Evelyn

polari-

9x1 next sect ion t o be considered on our l igh t ing tour is the bacteriological laboratory. Here again new designs i n glassware, and general laboratory too ls and f ixtures , have wrought great changes i n the past 15 gears. Tim aoes not permit our discussing them except t o emphasize that cheap glassware, burners, stands, clamps, etc., a r e a f a l se econamy. since a Dutch l inen draper and amateur lens grinder became the first bac- t e r io log i s t 300 years ago the microscope bas been one of the most important t oo l s of the microbio lo~is t . Today w e have an almost formidable array of instruments t o choose from. Here again we are limited only by our budget. An adequate binoculer achromatic imtrument can be had f o r about $400 and w i l l give admirable service. However, fo r careful work the large apochro- matic "research" type instrument, costing 3 times as much, may actual ly be a good investment. A monocular instrument is only t o be tolerated on a starva- t i o n budget but is s t i l l capable of f i rs t c lass work. Without a good lamp f o r perfect illumination even the best scope is useless, in fac t , the be t t e r the microscope the b e t t e r the lamp needed for it, A good modern lamp, cost- ing from $50 t o $75, is not an extravagant item, A good stereoscopic micro- scope w i l l a l so be needed for use both here and i n the chemical laboratory. A dry s t e r i l i z i n oven, capable of maintaining a temperature of 170° C wi th no more t b n a 3 variation, is an absolute necessity. Such an oven mag be e i ther gas or e l ec t r i ca l ly heated and may range in price from l e s s than a huhdred t o several thousand dol la rs and in size from one that will hold a couple dozen P e t r i dishes t o one that I s loaded by wheeling a large hand truck d i rec t ly into the oven. w i l l suffice for the average meat research laboratory. dry s t e r i l i z e r , w e m u s t have an autoclave, o r steam pressure s t e r i l i z e r , i n our laboratory. contemplated work load, but it is well t o remember that a small autoclave can often make a par t icu lar s t e r i l l z i a g Job either impossible or highly d i f -

Ever

8

An inside volume of about 10 t o 12 cubic fee t Besides the oven, or

The s ize and type of autoclave w i l l a l so depend on our

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f i c u l t while a Larger one can bandle the small jobs perfectly. nothing smaller than an autoclave with a 14-inch door should be considered. The autoclave may a lso be e i ther &ss o r e l ec t r i ca l ly heated or can be attached d i r ec t ly t o the house steam l ine. able and is cheaper as w e l l . operated with flowing steam at atmospheric preesure we s h l l a l so find am Arnold steam s t e r i l i z e r very useful.

Certsinly

The latter arrangement is usually prefer- If we choose an autoclave that cannot be

For the cul t ivat ion of bacter ia under reproducible conditions con- t ro l l ed temperature environments a re an absolute necessity. ments are furnished by incubators and water baths. meat work we shall need as accurately controlled incubator operating usually a t 20' C., but adjustable fo r use at both higher and lower temperatures. incubators a re available from maw of the sc ien t i f ic supply houses that make them by incorporating the necessary heating and control devices i n a conven- t i ona l household refr igerator . In our experience at Bel t sv i l le these are thoroughly re l iab le devices. Another incubator operating a t 37' C. will be needed (recent practice often favors 3 9 ) f o r cul t ivat ing orgmisms which normally grow at mammalian body temperatures, Here a conventional bacterio- logical incubator, which can be selected from a wide variety of models a t various prices, w i l l serve best. For cul t ivat ion of such organisms as f eca l streptococci at 45' C. a constant temperature water bath is most desirable. When not i n use f o r incubating cultures the water bath w i l l prove invaluable fo r tempering agar and f o r thsrmal death time work, psychrophilie bacteria a small space i n the refr igerators and freezers of the processing section of the laboratory can be used, although extensive work i n t h i s field may require another incubator operating i n the range of -5' t o +So C.

These environ- For a great deal of our

Such

For studies on

For work i n both bacteriology and chemistry we shall need a good centrifuge. Usually one instrument can be shared by both laboratories. The present high speed angle centrifuges are excellent fo r most purposes but if ample funds are available we may a l so want a conventional horizontal type. ooloqy counter, preferably of the Quebec type, is another necessity. paring bacteriological samples we shall need a War- Blendor with a good supply of jars and several small grinders which can be s t e r i l i zed by dry heat or autoclaving. We must a l s o plan t o have the pH meter, colorimeter, and spectrophotometer, discussed among the chemical equipment, available a t a l l times for bacteriological workers. Of course, if the t r a f f i c is too heavy, some duplicate instruments w i l l be required. doing more advanced research on our meat bacteriological problems a good Warburg manometric apparatus w i l l probably be required.

A For pre-

Finally, if we lmk forward t o

There s t i l l remains one part of our laboratory that is unequipped. That is the his tological section. Here, of' course, we shall again need t o purchase a large array of special glassware and, as was t rue i n chemistry and bacteriology, much of the currently available glassware is far superior t o w h a t was In general use 15 or 20 years aw. need a good microscope. Possibly, if OUT schedule i s not too heavy, the same microscope we purchased f o r bacteriology can be used; but in an ambitious, busy laboratory a second good instrument fo r histology is desirable. also want t o provide 8 photomicrographic camera for keeping his tological records and for reproducing slides fo r publication. a good rotary microtome and one or two smsll ones f o r free hand sections. we ant ic ipate a heavy work load i n the histology laboratory an automatic

For our his tological work we shall

We shall,

We w i l l , of course, need If

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t i s sue handling device such 8s the *Autotechnicon" w i l l be a worth while in- vestment but a good paraffin imbedding oven and a small re f r igera tor are necessi t ies in all events.

Our Lsboratorg is now f i l l e d with new and dazzling equipment and, a f t e r purchasing a formidable stock of chemicals, dewdrated culture, media, solvents, dyes a d stains, and innumerable miscellaneous item, we shall be ready t o begin work. dispenmble tools we must have constantly available, an up-to-date source of reference material, hand books, and files of technical periodicals, The hand books of chemistry and physics, the files of Bioloalcal and Chemical Abstrgcts, and the stardard reference books of the several basic sciences are jus t as important t o the research worker as are his burettes, h i s microscope, or even his boning knife and s t ee l . Furthermore, we must remember that even the best and latest equipment that money can buy is useless unless it is thoughtfully employed by w e l l trained, in te l l igent research workers. In the laboratory the most advanced labor-saving devices are not subst i tutes fo r the in te l l igent worker, they merely provide him with more time t o pursue his problems and advance his researchss. w e l l thought out experiments of adequate s t a t i s t i c a l design than t o d iss ipa te our expensive equipment and irreplaceable effort on mqy hastily conceived and feverishly pursued projects , that helps the meat research worker, that we m i g h t mention i n passing, is the ava i l ab i l i t y of' very excellent controls i n the use of paired cuts from t w o sides of one animal.

But, before we start, there is another set of in-

In general it is b e t t e r t o plan a few

One simple device for s t a t i s t i c a l planning

In closing our discussion of research laboratory equipment f wish t o give a double edsed warning: new gadget that is born each month and heralded i n the supply house bul le t ins , but do not, as time goes on allow your facil i t ies and equipment t o become out-worn and out moded .

Do not become equipment crazed and buy every

CHAIRMAN TOMHAVE:: Thank you,. Mr. Sulzbacher. I understand that there are a number of ins t i tu t ions in s t a l l i ng new eguipment o r building new laboratories. Our meat instructors and research workers now have the latest informstion on the facil i t ies and equipment needed for a modern research laboratory. Professor Pierce, of South Cakota State College, i a going t o lead the question period on t h i s very in- terest ing topic.

MR. PIERCE: Thank you, Mr. Tomhwe. dreamers i n the group, I am sure they have suff ic ient food f o r thought t o continue f o r the next several years, at least w i t h the appropria- t i ons that seem t o be presently apparent i n most of our s t a t e i n s t i t u - t ions. I think that Mr, Sulzbacher had some wonderful ideas a d sug-

Now if we have aw

gest ions s irable ,

w i l l now

t o equip

and he cer ta inly has given us a word picture of a highls de- modern research laboratory,

If' there are any suggestions o r comments a t th i s time, we open the subject for discussion.

MR. WANDEBSTOCK: Have you estimsted how much it would cost t bat laboratory?

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MR. SUIZBACHW: No, I would be afraid t o do that.

MR. PIERCE: I might say tbst some of the microscopes and pre- c is ion instruments that Mr. Sulzbacher was describing would run up t o several hundred and maybe thousands of dol lars .

MR. SUXZBACHER: I did not really mean t o dismiss that point Usually laboratories are not born suddenly, and the way I so briefly.

pictured this I just did I t a s a so r t of convenience. I do not know that aw of us will ever be fortunate enough really t o s t a r t from scratch and equip a brand n e w laboratory. I some times wish I could do it, but I w i l l be t t h a t if I d i d get the chance I would bungle it some- where. and you also have t o be ready t o throw out things. Nearly every day people i n lay laboratory come i n t o me with l i t t l e notes of things we need. Well, if I wrote up orders for every one of those notes, pret ty soon Mr. Hankins would be throwing m e out of his off ice when I cam down t o get an order signed. You jus t cannot do it and you have t o f e e l your way along and buy things a s you need t h e m and as you can afford them. Of course, t h i s discussion was aimed a t picturing the i d e a l with some consideration 6f budget l imitations.

You have t o build up a laboratory by feeling the need for things

MR, MACKINTOSH: I think we a l l appreciate that Mr, Sulzbacher was describing an ideal s i tuat ion, one which he jus t said is beyond the reach of most individuals. Reseerch Iriboratorg out here, I know that they a re very far from reach- ing that s i tuat ion; yet they possibly represent the most highly equipped laboratory i n existence a t the present time. I do appreciate the excel- l en t job he hss done i n presenting t o us the many types of apparatus that may be used o r should be used. that the apparatus would be of l i t t l e use without qualified personnel t o operate it. But the thing which I believe has more importance t o us with reference t o this paper I s that a good b i t of the work of t h i s nature can be accomplished through co-operation among departments i n our own ins t i tu t ions , that equipment under Animal Husbandry, w e know that a considerable portion of it is available and more of it w i l l be available i n t h e Chemistry Department and i n the Bacteriology Department, etc., on down the l ine. It does bring out insofar a s w e a r e concerned par t icular ly a t s t a t e ins t i tu t ions the need for co-operation -- the opportunity f o r co- operation i n u t i l i z ing a l o t of that highly developed type of apparatus.

From my most recent v i s i t t o the Meat

He was a l s o carefu l t o mention

In other words, while we would never hope t o have

MR. PIERCE: I think Mr. Mackintosh has a very w e l l taken point there and it cer ta inly shows us that w e have a l o t of equipment, Although not d i rec t ly a t our disposal, it is cer tainly available for our use if we w i l l jus t use a l i t t l e personality and some times perseverance i n going a f t e r it.

I think as far e8 meat laboratories a re concerned, it was at our f irst conf'erence that Mr. Francionl was discussing meat laboratories and I believe that h is is perhaps the best equipped of any meat labora- tory in the country, but I am sure that even M r . Francioni, who has admirable ways and means of dealing with the powers that be down there, has not secured a l l the f ine equipment that Mr, Sulzbacher has outlined for use i n his paper.

t

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Are there any other comments or questions on t h i s paper?

MR. BRADY: penetrometer a r e you referring?

I should l i k e t o ask jus t one question. To which

MR. SULZBACHW: That is the type with the weighted cone.

MR. BRADY: The reason I ask i s I believe some years back &if% had a penetrometer, too, a l i t t l e hand gadget. you a re ta lking about.

That i s not w h a t

MR. SULZBAC3ER: Various laboratory supply houses furnish them.

MR. MACKINTOSB: I should l i k e t o ask a question of Mr. Sulzbacher. I did not get qulte c lear ly the last part of your state- ment with reference t o the influence of fat on expressible juice.

MB. SULZRACBER: presented about three weeks ago here i n Chicago by Mr; Hankins and it was wr i t ten by Gaddis, Biner and &mkins and it dealt with the impor- tance of the percentage of fat i n the expressible juice. Briefly, the findings were that the percentage of f a t i n the juice is more closely related t o w h a t we would c a l l the ,juiciness of meat than it i s t o the amount of expressible juice.

That was a reference to a paper that w a s

That paper w i l l be published subsequently.

MR. PIERCE: Are there any other comments or discussions? I So if there a re no other comments I think w e a r e a l l a l i t t l e hungry.

w i l l tu rn the meeting back t o Mr. Tomhave.

CHAIRMAN TOMHAVE: Thank you verg much, M r . Pierce. As you know from the discussion t h i s morning, we not only have some very in- te res t ing topics t o be taken up, but there w i l l be discussions that I am sure w i l l be very interest ing so we w i l l a l l want t o be here on schedule. t ions that w e have not had an opportunity t o present fully e i ther yesterday or today.

W e w i l l have ample time t h i s afternoon t o present any ques-

We w i l l stand adjourned u n t i l one-thirty sharp.

(The meeting adjourned a t 12 : W o I C lock )

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