Hamilton Cell Density Sensors (InCyte / Dencytee)

Hamilton InCyte and Dencytee are Arc digital (RS485) sensors that monitor biomass in bioreactors and fermenters in situ, in real time and without sampling. InCyte measures permittivity, which correlates to viable cell density (VCD); Dencytee measures transmitted and reflected 860 nm light and reports total cell density (TCD) and turbidity. As one of Hamilton’s distributors in Turkey, Mikron Proses (Üsküdar, Istanbul) supplies both sensor families and provides application consulting on sensor selection and ArcAir integration.

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For the permittivity sensor alone, see the Hamilton Incyte Arc viable cell density sensor page.

InCyte and Dencytee compared

Feature	Hamilton InCyte Arc (VCD)	Hamilton Dencytee Arc RS485 (TCD / NTU)
Quantity measured	Viable cell density (VCD): only viable cells	Total cell density (TCD) and turbidity (NTU)
Principle	Permittivity	Optical near-infrared transmission and reflection at 860 nm
Measuring range	5 x 10^5 to 8 x 10^9 cells/mL (mammalian); conductivity 0.5 to 80 mS/cm	0 to 4 AU; 0 to 30,000 NTU
Dead cells and debris	Insensitive to cell debris and microcarriers	Detects all particles that scatter light at 860 nm: living and dead cells and cell debris
Reusable shaft lengths	120, 220, 320, 420 mm	120, 225, 325, 425 mm
Single-use version	Yes: Incyte-P SU patch with a reusable Arc Module	No: stainless steel Arc RS485 version only
Temperature / pressure	0 to 60 °C / 0 to 12 bar	0 to 140 °C (no TCD reading above 80 °C) / 0 to 12 bar
Verification and care	Solution B for e-conditioning (REF 243742)	Maintenance Tool Kit (REF 10146924)

InCyte: viable cell density by permittivity

Viable cells behave like small capacitors: their polarization and depolarization in an alternating electrical field is measured and correlated to viable cell density. Because only viable cells polarize, the method is insensitive to cell debris and microcarriers. The reusable InCyte Arc Expert is offered in 120, 220, 320 and 420 mm shaft lengths.

Dencytee: total cell density and turbidity

Dencytee measures total cell density without distinguishing live from dead cells, and is also effective after inoculation, when cells expand quickly but concentrations are low and capacitance-based readings are less reliable. Hamilton describes the combination of Incyte Arc and Dencytee Arc as a way to deliver viability information on a bioprocess. The datasheet gives a range of 0 to 4 AU and 0 to 30,000 NTU, a configurable NTU output and certification in water and at a 10,000 NTU standard.

Single-use InCyte line

For single-use bioreactor bags, the Incyte-P SU sensor patch is integrated into the bag and read by a reusable Arc Module (Arc Module Incyte-P SU or Incyte-W SU). The patch is discarded with the bag at the end of each process while the module is reused. The disposables tolerate gamma irradiation up to 50 kGy.

InCyte or Dencytee?

The right sensor depends on what you need to measure (viable cells only, or the total cell population), on whether you want a reusable or single-use line and on your existing Arc infrastructure. Related bioreactor sensors are the GlucoSense glucose sensor, the CO2NTROL dissolved CO2 sensor and the Hamilton dissolved oxygen sensors; configuration is covered on the Arc peripherals and ArcAir page.