Mini-BeadBeater-16 ULTRA
Sixteen 2 mL screw cap microvials, 3450 strokes per minute, complete lysis in two to three minutes. This is the next generation of the Mini-BeadBeater-16 that BioSpec has been building for over thirty years, now with a safety interlock, a programmable digital timer and up to fifteen times less noise. It replaces the standard model rather than sitting alongside it.
Voltage, finish and grinding media are separate line items, so we quote the build rather than a headline number. Tell us the model, the voltage and what you are grinding.
Quiet enough to share a room with
The mechanical redesign takes the perceived loudness to roughly half that of the original model. If your bead beater lives in a shared lab, a teaching lab or a core facility, this is the change people notice first.
The door stops the head
A safety interlock cuts the run the moment the transparent door is opened mid cycle. The door is clear, so you can watch the vials without lifting anything.
Vials seated the same way every time
The redesigned shaking head uses a torque key on the retaining cap. Loading stops being a matter of feel, which is where run to run variation usually creeps in.
A timer you can repeat
Programmable digital control from one second to five minutes, with automatic reset, so the next operator runs the same method as the last one.
Sixteen vials, one fixed speed, and nothing to calibrate
The 16 ULTRA runs at a single speed. That sounds like a limitation and is usually the opposite: 3450 strokes per minute is the setting that made the platform the reference for complete lysis, and there is no dial for an operator to nudge. Load the vials, set the time, close the door. Bacteria, yeast, fungi, plant and animal tissue all open in two to three minutes, and better than 95 percent of cells are disrupted.
Where it stops being the right machine is when a kit protocol names an rpm figure, or when the sample cannot tolerate a continuous run. For those, look at the Mini-BeadBeater-24 ULTRA, which adds variable speed and automated on and off cycling. For plate work, the Mini-BeadBeater 96.
Specifications
Catalogue numbers
Europe normally takes the 230 V build. Say which finish you want on the quote request, or leave it to us and we will quote black.
What you get, and what you will still need
The instrument arrives with its shaking head, the torque key and the retaining cap for the vial set, and the digital controller built in. There is no software and nothing to install.
You buy the consumables separately, because they depend on your sample: screw cap microvials, and grinding beads in the right material and size. Zirconia or chrome steel for hard plant tissue, seed, soil and bone. Glass or silica for yeast and soft cell lines. Our grinding media page lists what we hold.
Applications
DNA and RNA extraction, protein recovery, metabolite work, microbiome studies and general tissue homogenization. The platform is used routinely ahead of PCR, PAGE and diagnostic assays. Tough material is where it earns its place: mycobacteria, bacterial and fungal spores, fibrous plant tissue, seed, soil and faecal samples.
Because the vials stay sealed for the whole run, there is no cross contamination between samples, which is the reason many nucleic acid workflows specify bead beating rather than grinding.
Heat, and how to work around it
Bead beating puts energy into the sample and roughly 10 °C per minute comes back out as heat. Nucleic acids in a chaotropic extraction buffer tolerate that without trouble. Native protein, membranes and organelles do not.
The method that works: beat for one minute, cool the vials in an ice and water mix for one minute, repeat to a total on time of three minutes. A pre-chilled aluminium vial rack buys a little more headroom. If you would rather the instrument handled the cycling itself, that is the argument for the 24 ULTRA.
Ordering, delivery and warranty
Price on request, and there is no online checkout, because every unit is quoted per configuration. Send the voltage and the finish you want and a written quotation follows within one working day. Shipping is world wide by DHL Express, typically 7 to 20 working days depending on destination and customs.
The instrument carries the manufacturer’s warranty against defects in materials and workmanship under normal laboratory conditions. Ask us for the current terms with your quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Mini-BeadBeater-16 ULTRA and the standard Mini-BeadBeater-16?
The beadbeating mechanics and the disruption performance are the same, so existing methods carry across unchanged. What is new is the packaging around them: up to fifteen times quieter operation, a safety interlock that stops the head when the door opens, a programmable digital timer from one second to five minutes with automatic reset, a torque key on the retaining cap for consistent vial mounting, a transparent door, a powder coat finish and a choice of red, blue or black. The ULTRA replaces the standard model rather than sitting above it as an option.
How many samples can it run, and in what vials?
Four to sixteen 2 mL screw cap microvials per run, with 0.1 to 1.0 mL of material in each. Load fewer than four and the head is unbalanced, so four is the floor rather than a suggestion. Distribute the vials symmetrically when you run a partial load.
How long is a run?
Two to three minutes of beating gives complete homogenization on microbial, plant and animal samples, including mycobacteria, spores and fibrous tissue. If your downstream step is PCR and you can accept less than total lysis, shorter runs often do the job.
Does it have variable speed?
No. The 16 ULTRA runs at a fixed 3450 strokes per minute, which is the speed the platform was validated at. If your protocol specifies an rpm figure, or you need programmed rest intervals for heat sensitive material, the Mini-BeadBeater-24 ULTRA offers variable speed from 2400 to 3800 rpm with five programmable runtime cycles.
Can it grind dry samples?
Yes. Dry grinding is supported. For cryogenic grinding, freeze the sample to liquid nitrogen temperature first, use reinforced vials and hold the temperature with a solid aluminium vial holder during beating.
Which beads should I use, and how full should the vial be?
Match the bead to the sample: zirconia or chrome steel for hard plant tissue, seed, soil and bone, glass or silica for yeast and soft cell lines. Fill a screw cap vial about half full with beads, or keep beads to roughly a third of the vessel volume, so they can still move. Up to 400 mg wet weight of material per 2 mL vial is a sensible ceiling.
What does the Mini-BeadBeater-16 ULTRA cost?
Price on request. We quote per configuration because voltage, finish and grinding media are separate line items, and there is no webshop checkout. Send the voltage you need and a written quotation follows within one working day. Shipping is from the Netherlands.
