Can I flush the sample line with air to remove all the cell culture by pushing the culture back in to the bioreactor or fermentor?
Yes. Up-stream from the first non-return valve is a Luer-Lok® needleless injection port to which the operator could attach a sterile filter and syringe. The filter should remain attached to the Luer-Lok® needleless injection port thereafter and can be used to push air through the sterile filter to displace cell culture in the sample line and back into the bioreactor or fermentor. Whilst this is achievable, great care should be taken not to introduce contaminants and not to block the filter with cell culture media. Generally, we do not recommend this because of the risks of contamination and the flushing of the sample line into the waste bag makes this unnecessary and more complicated to operate than it needs to be.
