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- Pinocchio Flask - culture flask for direct monitoring of cell growth
Pinocchio Flask - culture flask for direct monitoring of cell growth
https://www.idylle-labs.com/shop/pinocchio-flask-culture-flask-for-direct-monitoring-of-cell-growth-656 https://www.idylle-labs.com/web/image/product.template/656/image_1920?unique=0658e4aIntegrated glassware for in situ optical density readings under controlled culture conditions
Pre-orders are open until July 15th, 2025
A technology developed by Khaled Fadhlaoui (Université Clermont Auvergne, France)
Pinocchio Flask is a smart glassware designed for direct monitoring of microorganism growth during culture. Thanks to their integrated anaerobic culture tube, optical density measurements can be taken in situ while maintaining perfectly stable conditions.
Save time
Say goodbye to fastidious handling under a glove box. Get OD readings instantly!
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No need to be constrained by the tiny volumes of anaerobic culture tubes

Keep control
No lid opening: no risk of accidental contamination or oxygen exposure
Resistant
Suitable for routine culture of extremophiles and gas-producing bacteria
By combining the power of serum vials with anaerobic tubes, Pinocchio Flask will be your greatest ally!
The Pinocchio-Flasks design was perfected to simplify experimental workflows when working with:
- Strict anaerobes or oxygen-sensitive processes: allowing for OD measurements without any risk of
oxygen contamination by opening the container, the Pinocchio-Flasks will drastically simplify
experimental workflows where maintaining strict anaerobicity is crucial. - Extremophiles in controlled gaseous environments: a serum vial shape, selected to maintain
a homogeneous gas balance throughout the whole culture and monitor growth without disturbing it.
Resistant to elevated pressures, they can be used with gas-producing microorganisms and have notably
been used to support the growth and analysis of methanogenic archaebacteria in a published study [1]. - High-risk pathogens, requiring containment to prevent accidental release.
- Any other species, to avoid disturbing the culture and reduce the risk of experimental variations due to opening/closing. Or simply to save time!
[1] Borrel G, Fadhlaoui K, Ben Hania W, Gaci N, Pehau-Arnaudet G, Chaudhary PP, Vandekerckove P, Ballet N, Alric M, O'Toole PW, Fardeau ML, Ollivier B, Brugère JF. Methanomethylophilus alvi gen. nov., sp. nov., a Novel Hydrogenotrophic Methyl-Reducing Methanogenic Archaea of the Order Methanomassiliicoccales Isolated from the Human Gut and Proposal of the Novel Family Methanomethylophilaceae fam. nov. Microorganisms. 2023 Nov 17;11(11):2794. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11112794. PMID: 38004804; PMCID: PMC10673518.
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Material: clear borosilicate glass
Autoclavable: yes
Closure type: crimp top, 20 mm
Side tube outer diameter: 16 mm*
*Optical readings can be taken using any spectrophotometer/densitometer with a tube holder designed for tubes with an outer diameter of 16 mm, or equipped with an appropriate adapter. Examples of compatible references include Jenway 6320D, Dynamica HALO VIS-20/ENVmaster, Genesys 6, McFarland DEN-1/DEN-1B/DEN-600 (Grant Instruments) or MiniDen (Kisker Biotech).
Available pack sizes:
50mL or 100mL flasks available: mix & match your desired formats within your pack!
5-flask pack: 330€ (66€/flask)
20-flask pack: 980€ (49€/flask)
50-flask pack: 1960€ (39€/flask)
The Pinocchio-Flasks have been used in the following publication to support the growth and analysis of oxygen-sensitive methanogenic archaea:
Borrel G, Fadhlaoui K, Ben Hania W, Gaci N, Pehau-Arnaudet G, Chaudhary PP, Vandekerckove P, Ballet N, Alric M, O'Toole PW, Fardeau ML, Ollivier B, Brugère JF. Methanomethylophilus alvi gen. nov., sp. nov., a Novel Hydrogenotrophic Methyl-Reducing Methanogenic Archaea of the Order Methanomassiliicoccales Isolated from the Human Gut and Proposal of the Novel Family Methanomethylophilaceae fam. nov. Microorganisms. 2023 Nov 17;11(11):2794. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11112794. PMID: 38004804; PMCID: PMC10673518.
Yes, Pinocchio-Flask can be used for routine culture and analysis of strict anaerobe microorganisms. The crimp-top opening of the flasks is compatible with aluminium septum caps, guaranteeing perfectly air-tight conditions throughout culture and optical density readings. The serum vial format also allows homogeneous gas exchanges when incubated under constant shaking conditions, providing optimal conditions for the growth of anaerobic species and well-controlled atmosphere throughout the culture. The Pinocchio-Flasks have been used in a recently published study for the growth of oxygen-sensitive methanogenic archaea.
Yes, Pinocchio-Flask is reusable. It can be washed using a simple dishwasher and autoclaved between experiments.
Yes, Pinocchio-Flask can be used for routine growth and monitoring of microorganisms in aerobic conditions. It is up to the user to decide the desired level of aerobiosis for their experiment, by choosing an appropriate closure system. When using Pinocchio Flask for culture in aerobic conditions, a sterile stopper can be added to the flask just before reading the optical density to prevent any leaks. Once OD measurements have been taken, simply place the cultures back for incubation in aerobic conditions. If using the flasks for aerobic culture, we recommend not filling the flasks with more than one-third of their total volume in culture medium to maximise agitation and aeration of the culture.
The Pinocchio-Flasks have been used in the following publication to support the growth and analysis of methanogenic archaebacteria:
Borrel G, Fadhlaoui K, Ben Hania W, Gaci N, Pehau-Arnaudet G, Chaudhary PP, Vandekerckove P, Ballet N, Alric M, O'Toole PW, Fardeau ML, Ollivier B, Brugère JF. Methanomethylophilus alvi gen. nov., sp. nov., a Novel Hydrogenotrophic Methyl-Reducing Methanogenic Archaea of the Order Methanomassiliicoccales Isolated from the Human Gut and Proposal of the Novel Family Methanomethylophilaceae fam. nov. Microorganisms. 2023 Nov 17;11(11):2794. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11112794. PMID: 38004804; PMCID: PMC10673518.
Everspark technology has been intially developed by Karine Monier, Arnaud Favier and Christophe Place and and published in Scientific Reports:
Provost, A., Rousset, C., Bourdon, L. et al. Innovative particle standards and long-lived imaging for 2D and 3D dSTORM. Sci Rep 9, 17967 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53528-0
Publications:
Nanoscale engagement and clusterization of Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in the membrane lipid rafts of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer cells
Martina Ruglioni, Simone Civita, Tiziano Salvadori, Sofia Cristiani, Vittoria Carnicelli, Serena Barachini, Iacopo Petrini, Irene Nepita, Marco Castello, Alberto Diaspro, Paolo Bianchini, Barbara Storti, Ranieri Bizzarri, Stefano Fogli and Romano Danesi bioRxiv 2022.08.09.503318; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.09.503318
HIV-1 diverts actin debranching mechanisms for particle assembly and release in CD4 T lymphocytes
Rayane Dibsy, Erwan Bremaud, Johnson Mak, Cyril Favard, Delphine Muriaux
BioRxiv, December 16, 2022. doi. 10.1101/2022.12.15.520580
Fluorescent Polymer-AS1411-Aptamer Probe for dSTORM Super-Resolution Imaging of Endogenous Nucleolin
Fabre L, Rousset C, Monier K, Da Cruz-Boisson F, Bouvet P, Charreyre MT, Delair T, Fleury E, Favier A. Biomacromolecules. 2022 May 12. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01706. PMID: 35549176
Comparative analysis of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and Ad26.COV2.S SARS-CoV-2 vector vaccines.
Michalik S, Siegerist F, Palankar R, Franzke K, Schindler M, Reder A, Seifert U, Cammann C, Wesche J, Steil L, Hentschker C, Gesell-Salazar M, Reisinger E, Beer M, Endlich N, Greinacher A, Völker U. Haematologica. 2022 Apr 1;107(4):947-957. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2021.280154. PMID: 35045692
Metabolic biorthogonal labeling and dSTORM imaging of peptidoglycan synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Jennyfer Trouve, Oleksandr Glushonkov and Cecile Morlot
Star Protocols, December 13, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.101006
Insights in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia.
Greinacher A, Selleng K, Palankar R, Wesche J, Handtke S, Wolff M, Aurich K, Lalk M, Methling K, Völker U, Hentschker C, Michalik S, Steil L, Reder A, Schönborn L, Beer M, Franzke K, Büttner A, Fehse B, Stavrou EX, Rangaswamy C, Mailer RK, Englert H, Frye M, Thiele T, Kochanek S, Krutzke L, Siegerist F, Endlich N, Warkentin TE, Renné T.
Blood. 2021 Dec 2;138(22):2256-2268. doi: 10.1182/blood.2021013231. PMID: 34587242
Superresolution Microscopy of Drosophila Indirect Flight Muscle Sarcomeres.
Szikora S, Novák T, Gajdos T, Erdélyi M, Mihály J. Bio Protoc. 2020 Jun 20;10(12):e3654. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3654. eCollection 2020 Jun 20. PMID: 33659324