Who is Khaled Fadhlaoui ?
Khaled Fadhlaoui is a research engineer at the University Clermont Auvergne and INRAE, specializing in microbiology, genetics and environmental health. His work focuses on the isolation and cultivation of anaerobic and extremophilic microorganisms, such as Methanomethylophilus alvi, a newly-identified methanogenic archaeon from the human gut.
Khaled’s expertise spans DNA sequencing, PCR, and microbial cultivation under strict anaerobic conditions. He identified a critical bottleneck in his own research: measuring optical density (OD) in an enclosed system required either the use of glove boxes, which can quickly become a hassle, or the use of Hungate tubes providing a smart solution but clearly restricted in terms of available volumes. This insight inspired him to develop a smarter solution, the Pinocchio Flask, enabling real-time, non-invasive monitoring of microbial growth in serum bottle formats.
The fact that glassblowing services have become increasingly rare within institutes, as well as their sometimes prohibitive costs, motivated his decision to make these directly available on the Idylle's research tools platform.
Pinocchio Flask, the flask that doesn't lie
Enter the Pinocchio Flask, a clever little culture system with nothing to hide.
Named for its protruding measurement tube (yes, like a nose), the Pinocchio Flask lets you monitor cell growth without ever opening the lid. No more sacrificing precision for practicality.
Made of glass bottles welded to a hungate-like nose on their side, you just place it directly in your spectrophotometer and track OD in real time while maintaining perfectly air-tight growth conditions.
Born From Frustration. Refined Through Science.
The Pinocchio Flask was first validated in the lab when Dr. Fadhaloui and colleagues used it to cultivate M. alvi for a 2023 study (Borrel et al.), showing stable growth and accurate, non-invasive OD readings over time. Since then, it's become a go-to solution for anyone working with:
- Anaerobic or extremophilic microbes (resistant to high pressures)
- High-risk pathogens
- Microbiology teaching labs
- Researchers who value data integrity and convenience
Let Your Cultures Speak for Themselves
Forget risky sampling. Forget compromised growth curves. With Pinocchio Flask, your cultures grow uninterrupted, and you stay in control.
