Mass Transfer, Gas Holdup, and Kinetic Models of Batch and Continuous Fermentation in a Novel Rectangular Dynamic Membrane Airlift Bioreactor

Compared with conventional cylinder airlift bioreactors(CCABs)that produce coarse bubbles,a novel rectangular dynamic membrane airlift bioreactor(RDMAB)developed in our lab produces fine bubbles to enhance the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient(k_(L)a)and gas holdup,as well as improve the bioprocess in a bioreactor.In this study,we compared mass transfer,gas holdup,and batch and con-tinuous fermentation for RNA production in CCAB and RDMAB.In addition,unstructured kinetic models for microbial growth,substrate utilization,and RNA formation were established.In batch fermentation,biomass,RNA yield,and substrate utilization in the RDMAB were higher than those in the CCAB,which indicates that dynamic membrane aeration produced a high k_(L)a by fine bubbles;a higher k_(L)a is more bene-ficial to aerobic fermentation.The starting time of continuous fermentation in the RDMAB was 20 h ear-lier than that in the CCAB,which greatly improved the biological process.During continuous fermentation,maintaining the same dissolved oxygen level and a constant dilution rate,the biomass accumulation and RNA concentration in the RDMAB were 9.71% and 11.15% higher than those in the CCAB,respectively.Finally,the dilution rate of RDMAB was 16.7% higher than that of CCAB during con-tinuous fermentation while maintaining the same air aeration.In summary,RDMAB is more suitable for continuous fermentation processes.Developing new aeration and structural geometry in airlift bioreac-tors to enhance k_(L)a and gas holdup is becoming increasingly important to improve bioprocesses in a bioreactor.

Principles and Case Studies of Fed Batch Fermentation and Continuous Fermentation

Modern fermentation processes include a variety of fermentation methods,such as fed batch fermentation and continuous fermentation.This paper will focus on the principles and case studies of these two methods.Fed batch fermentation originates from fractionation fermentation with closed culture and adjustment of the pH value of the carbon source,to which the process of feeding the carbon source to the cell culture in a controlled manner has been added.This type of fermentation is more commonly used compared to the other.Continuous fermentation is also a closed fermentation system,which can operate without restrictions by continuous or intermittent addition of fresh nutrient media to the fermenter;however,it is susceptible to contamination by stray bacteria and metabolic inconvenience.

Strain and process engineering toward continuous industrial fermentation

Most current biotechnology industries are based on batch or fed-batch fermentation processes,which often show low productivity and high production costs compared to chemical processes.To increase the economic competitiveness of biological processes,continuous fermentation technologies are being developed that offer significant advantages in comparison with batch/fed-batch fermentation processes,including:(1)removal of potential substrates and product inhibition,(2)prolonging the microbial exponential growth phase and enhancing productivity,and(3)avoiding repeated fermentation preparation and lowering operation and installation costs.However,several key challenges should be addressed for the industrial application of continuous fermentation processes,including(1)contamination of the fermentation system,(2)degeneration of strains,and(3)relatively low product titer.In this study,we reviewed and discussed metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies to address these issues.

The effect of diet supplemented with vegetable oils and/or monensin on the vaccenic acid production in continuous culture fermenters

Studies have shown that supplementing ruminant diets with vegetable oils modulated the rumen biohydrogenation and increased polyunsaturated fatty acid in their products. These positive values are often accompanied by a marginal loss of supplemented unsaturated fatty acids and rise in the concentrations of saturated fatty acids. This study were carried out mainly to investigate the effect of supplementing diets with sunflower oil, olive oil with or without monensin on the production and accumulation of vaccenic acid(VA) in continuous culture fermenters as a long term in vitro rumen simulation technique.Eight dual-flow continuous culture fermenters were used in an 8 replication experiment lasted 10 days each(first 7 days for adaptation and last 3 days for samples collection). Supplementing diets with plant oils and monensin in the present experiment increased VA and conjugated linoleic acids(P > 0.05) in ruminal cultures. The results suggest that supplementing diets with both olive oil and sunflower oil and monensin increased VA accumulation compared to plant oils supplemented alone without affecting the rumen dry matter and organic matter digestibility.