Applikon Biotechnology equipment

About Applikon Biotechnology

Applikon Biotechnology is a Dutch manufacturer of bioreactor and fermentor systems for research and biopharmaceutical production, founded in 1973 in Delft, Netherlands. The company began as a subsidiary of glass industry manufacturer Pieterman BV, a lineage visible in its long line of autoclavable glass vessels. It develops bioreactors and fermentors, single-use bioreactors, bioprocess controllers, bioprocess sensors, and bioprocess software, which together form complete bioprocess platforms rather than standalone instruments. Its product lines include MiniBio, AppliFlex ST, my-Control, ez-Control, AppliSens, BioBundle, SUPR, and BioSep. Since January 2020 Applikon has been part of Getinge AB. The equipment is used across fermentation and cell culture work in biotechnology and the life sciences.

These systems do bioprocessing, the controlled growth of cells or microorganisms to produce biological material. A bench bioreactor running mammalian cell culture or microbial fermentation holds the growing culture at a set temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen level while the controller logs and adjusts each parameter, which is the core task in upstream bioprocess development. The AppliSens probe range handles the measurement side, feeding pH, dissolved oxygen and optical density readings to the controller, so the same hardware supports process optimisation and scale-up studies in biomanufacturing. Single-use vessels extend this into applications where cleaning validation between runs is a constraint, such as cell culture for molecular diagnostics and protein production. A used Applikon fermentor or bioreactor controller therefore enters a workflow that already has a defined place for it, from early strain screening through to pilot-scale production.

Applikon product lines on Questpair

The listings centre on the families Applikon is known for. MiniBio covers the small bench-scale bioreactor systems, typically used for parallel screening and media development where several conditions run at once. AppliFlex ST is the single-use bioreactor line, where the culture is grown in a disposable vessel. The my-Control and ez-Control platforms are the bioprocess controllers that drive the vessels, managing temperature, gas flow, pH and dissolved oxygen. AppliSens is the sensor range, the probes that measure those parameters inside the vessel. BioBundle describes complete packaged setups that combine a vessel with its controller, while SUPR and BioSep cover specialised process and separation hardware. Among the listings that specify a line, these families account for most of what appears, though individual probes, cables and spare parts also feature on their own.

What the Applikon listings look like

The Questpair catalogue holds 97 Applikon items from 10 verified suppliers and distributors across 4 countries. 100 percent of the listings are used. Prices range from EUR 86 to EUR 12.913, with an average near EUR 4.394. The lower end of that range tends to cover individual sensors, fittings and ancillary components, and the upper end complete controller-and-vessel systems. Because a working bioprocess setup needs the vessel, its controller, the sensors and the software together, each listing is worth reading for exactly what it contains before a buyer treats it as a complete system. Parts for these systems can be sourced via Questpair, and where documentation is needed the buyer can contact Questpair, where specialists respond within one hour. A warranty is often possible and is arranged in consultation for the specific listing. The catalogue distinguishes new from used, so when weighing the two the relevant difference it records is price, with the condition and completeness of any given unit set out in its own listing.

Questpair review of Applikon Biotechnology

Our take based on listings data and supplier feedback

Applikon occupies a specific position in laboratory bioprocess hardware, and the listings on Questpair reflect that focus rather than a broad instrument catalogue. The maker builds fermentation and cell culture vessels together with the controllers that run them, and the practical value for a buyer is that the vessel, the controller, the sensors and the software were designed to work as one system.

The first benefit, a single design lineage, shows in how the listings group. The MiniBio bench vessels, the autoclavable glass fermentors and the AppliFlex ST single-use bioreactors share the my-Control and ez-Control controller platforms and the AppliSens probe range for pH, dissolved oxygen and optical density. For a lab doing microbial fermentation or mammalian cell culture, this matters because a used vessel sourced on its own is only useful if its controller and probe fittings match. Where a listing pairs a vessel with its controller, the integration work is already done. Where it does not, the shared platform at least means the parts come from a known family. Across 10 verified suppliers and distributors, the spread of listings covers both complete BioBundle-style setups and individual components.

The second benefit, coverage from bench scale upward, is visible in the range of working volumes represented. MiniBio systems run at the smallest scale, suited to parallel screening and media development, while larger glass and single-use vessels move toward pilot-scale bioprocessing. This range makes the catalogue relevant to several stages of a bioprocess development workflow, from early strain and clone screening through process optimisation. A buyer scaling a protocol can often stay within the same controller environment, which reduces retraining and revalidation effort when moving between vessel sizes.

The third benefit is cost. Across the Questpair catalogue the listings run from EUR 86 to EUR 12.913, with an average around EUR 4.394. 100 percent of the listings are used. New bioreactor hardware represents a substantial capital outlay, so a used controller or vessel at these prices changes what a smaller lab or a single project can justify. The lower figures in the range tend to correspond to individual probes, cables and ancillary parts, while the higher figures correspond to complete controller-and-vessel systems. A buyer assembling a working setup should read each listing for what it actually includes, since a bioreactor is only operational once vessel, controller, sensors and software are all present.

Two practical points sit alongside the hardware. Parts for these systems can be sourced via Questpair, which is relevant given that bioprocess setups depend on consumable probes and fittings. Where a warranty is wanted, it is arranged in consultation for the specific listing rather than offered centrally. For a buyer weighing a used Applikon system against new, the clearest difference the catalogue supports is price, and the individual listing is where the specifics of condition and completeness are settled.

**Dutch bioreactor engineering under one maker**

Applikon Biotechnology, founded in Delft in 1973 and now part of Getinge AB, built its reputation on bioreactor and fermentor systems, so a buyer finds both the vessel and its controller from a single design lineage.

**Bench-scale through single-use coverage**

The listed range spans the MiniBio bench systems, the AppliFlex ST single-use bioreactors, and the my-Control and ez-Control bioprocess controllers, covering cell culture and microbial fermentation from a few hundred millilitres upward.

**Lower entry cost for bioprocess hardware**

Across the Questpair catalogue, 100 percent of the listings are used, with prices from EUR 86 to EUR 12.913, which places controller and vessel hardware well below new-equipment pricing.