BioPulverizer

Because of the high water content, most fresh tissue becomes as brittle as glass at liquid nitrogen temperatures.  BioSpec Product's BioPulverizer reduces tissue samples hard-frozen in liquid nitrogen to a powder.  A sharp blow to the tissue with the included mallet will shatter it into tiny pieces.  Called freeze-fracturing or cryopulverization, the method is especially useful for preparing tough, fibrous tissues such as skin, cartilage, cornea, etc. for subsequent rapid cell disruption using other homogenizing techniques at room temperature.

Cryopulverization with the BioPulverizer is also useful for extracting labile tissue metabolites. And, for affinity proteomics studies, cryogrinding tissue in a Mini-Beadbeater is a preferred way to disrupt cells for recovery of native protein complexes (see Biotechniques 58:103-119 (Mar 2015)).

The BioPulverizer consists of a machined, stainless steel mortar and matched stainless steel pestle. In a typical procedure, up to 10 grams of animal or plant tissue is hard-frozen in liquid nitrogen and placed in the well of the liquid nitrogen-cooled BioPulverizer.  The pre-cooled pestle is then placed on top of the tissue in the well and struck by the mallet.  After 2 or 3 blows, the brittle tissue is reduced to a powder.