Modeling cell concentration in complex media

A model that continuously predicts the concentration of microorganisms in complex medium fermentations is suggested. The model uses carbon dioxide evolution as its primary input and assumes that respiration activity can be differentiated into growth-related and maintenance-related functions. This model can be programmed on computer-coupled vessels and used to standardize on a physiological fermentation inoculum transfer time. The cell concentration estimate can also be used to calculate specific growth rate and can be combined with additional monitored information to calculate other important fermentation parameters such as specific oxygen uptake.     

Nonlinear estimation of specific growth rate for aerobic fermentation processes

The specific growth rate of the biomass, a very important parameter of almost every fermentation process, cannot be measured directly or estimated from related variables, as the concentrations of biomass, substrates, or products, due to the lack of reliable and cheap sensors. In this article a stable adaptive estimator of the specific growth rate is designed for those aerobic processes where the measurement of the oxygen uptake rate is available on-line. This particular approach can be applied also for other reaction rates if the model of the process satisfies some very general assumptions, which make the dynamics of the measured reaction rate a nonlinear function only of two unknown parameters, the specific growth rate and its time derivative. With respect to a previous similar approach, the new estimator has one additional parameter and a different nonlinear structure. From the analysis of the dynamics of the estimation error, a tuning criterion is derived, by which the two different algorithms can be compared under similar conditions. Simulation results show a good performance of both estimators for various kind of processes and disturbances. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Computer-aided baker's yeast fermentations.

The economics of yeast production depend heavily upon the cellular yield coefficient on the carbon source and the volumetric productivity of the process. The application of an on-line computer to maximize these two terms during the fermentation requires a continuous method of measuring cell density and growth rate. Unfortunately, a direct sensor for biomass concentration suitable for use in industrial fermentations is not available. Material balancing, with the aid of on-line computer monitoring, offers an indirect method of measurement. Laboratory results from baker's yeast production in a 14-liter fermentor (with a PDP-11/10 computer for on-line analyses) show this indirect measurement technique to be a viable alternative. From the oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production data, gas flow rate, and ammonia addition rate, the cell density during the fermentation has been estimated and found to compare well with actual fermentation data.     

Feedback stabilization of fed-batch bioreactors: non-monotonic growth kinetics

This paper deals with the design of a feedback controller for fed-batch microbial conversion processes that forces the substrate concentration C(S) to a desired setpoint, starting from an arbitrary (initial) substrate concentration when non-monotonic growth kinetics apply. This problem is representative for a lot of industrial fermentation processes, with the baker's yeast fermentation as a well-known example. It is assumed that the specific growth rate mu is function of the substrate concentration only. A first approach exploits the availability of on-line measurements of both the substrate and biomass concentration. A second approach is merely based on on-line measurements of the biomass concentration, which provide an estimate for the specific growth rate. After a reformulation of the substrate concentration setpoint into a specific growth rate setpoint, it is demonstrated that the fed-batch process can still be stabilized around any desired operating point along the non-monotonic kinetics.     

An adaptive state estimator for detecting contaminants in bioreactors

An algorithm is presented for detecting the appearance of contaminants during batch or fed-batch fermentations, using only presently available on-line measurements. Its adaptive nature enables it to rely on almost no prior knowledge of the real process. The necessary on-line measurements are total biomass and its production rate; it is also shown how a physical variable such as oxygen uptake can be used alone instead. The algorithm's properties are studied theoretically and through simulations. These were confirmed by on-line experimental results, obtained with a Yeast culture, both pure and contaminated by a Bacteria. The algorithm does not detect contaminants when none are there, and it also provides a convergent estimate of a pure culture's specific growth rate. Contaminated cultures are recognized by the algorithm, and this detection can be made more or less conservative. After detection, the various estimates may diverge, due to general observability difficulties, though this divergence can itself be monitored. Moreover, the algorithm is easy to tune and its qualitative behavior is quite insensitive to its adjustable parameters. A practical criterion and scheme for implementation are proposed. The generality of the approach, which far exceeds the experimental system used, is finally discussed.     

An algorithmic approach to constructing the on-line estimation system for the specific growth rate

The objective of this article is to propose an algorithm for the on-line estimation of the specific growth rate in a batch or a fed-batch fermentation process. The algorithm shows the practical procedure for the estimation method utilizing the macroscopic balance and the extended Kalman filter. A number of studies of the on line estimation have been presented. However, there are few studies discussing about the selection of the observed variables and for the tuning of some parameters of the extended Kalman filter, such as covariance matrix and initial values of the state.The beginning of this article is devoted to explain the selection of the observed variable. This information is very important in terms of the practical know-how for using technique. It is discovered that the condition number is a practically useful and valid criterion for number is a practically useful and valid criterion for choosing the variable to be observed.Next, when the extended Kalman filter in applied to the online estimation of the specific growth rate, which is directly unmeasurable, criteria for judging the validity of the estimated value from the observed data are proposed. Based on the proposed criterial, the system equation of the specific growth rate is selected and initial value of the state variable and covariance matrix of the system noises are adjusted. From many experiments, it is certified that the specific growth rate in the batch or fed -batch fermentation can be estimated accurately by means of the algorithm proposed here. In these experiments, that is, when the cell concentration is measured directly, the extended Kalman filter using the convariance matrix with a constant element can estimate more accurately values of the specific growth rate than the adaptive extended Kalman filter does.     

Stable adaptive algorithm for simultaneous estimation of time-varying parameters and state variables in aerobic bioprocesses

The application of modern model based control algorithms in the bioprocesses is hampered by the lack of accurate and cheap on-line sensors, capable of providing on-line measurements of the main process variables and parameters. In this paper, a new approach for estimation of immeasurable time-varying parameters and state variable is presented for a class of aerobic bioprocesses using only on-line measurements of the oxygen uptake rate. The approach consists in the design of a new parameter estimator of biomass growth rate and yield coefficient for oxygen consumption on the basis of the theory of adaptive estimation. The dynamical equation of the measurable reaction rate, oxygen uptake rate, is presented as a linear one with respect to the biomass growth rate and the yield coefficient for oxygen consumption. In this way, the structure of the proposed estimator becomes linear time-varying one. After some mathematical transformations, that structure is presented in a form, allowing to be derived the stability conditions using some theoretical results concerning the stability of adaptive observers. The estimates of the yield coefficient for oxygen consumption, the biomass concentration and specific growth rate are obtained then on the basis of the generated estimates using well known kinetic models of bioprocesses. With respect to previous similar approaches, the new estimation algorithm gives stable estimates not only of immeasurable state variable and reaction rates but likewise of an yield coefficient. The behavior of the proposed estimator is studied under inexact initial conditions, step changes of dilution rate and in the presence of measurement noise by simulations using a process model, which belongs to the investigated class of bioprocesses.     

An algorithm for operating a fed-batch fermentor at optimum specific-growth rate

An algorithm for operating a fed-batch fermentor at an optimum specific fermentation rate is proposed. It does not require on-line measurement of nutrient concentration in the culture medium. An on-line estimate of the specific fermentation rate is sufficient for implementation of this scheme. The algorithm is model independent and works well even with poor estimates of the product yields and the specific fermentation rate. Results of a detailed simulation study are presented for a simple case of optimization of cell-mass production in a fed-batch fermentor. The results clearly demonstrate the efficacy of this algorithm under a wide range of fermentation situations.     

Phenotypes and fed-batch fermentation of ubiquinone-overproducing fission yeast using ppt1 gene

Ubiquinone (UQ), a component of the electron transfer system in many organisms, has been widely used for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. In this study, we cloned and overexpressed the full-length ppt1 (MTppt1) gene, which encodes p-hydroxybenzoate:polyprenyltransferase and ERppt1 gene, which was modified to be localized on endoplasmic reticulum in fission yeast. The yeast MTppt1 and ERppt1 transgenic lines showed about 3.7 and 5.1 times increment in UQ content and the recombinant yeasts with a higher UQ level are more resistant to H(2)O(2), Cu(2+) and NaCl, and interestingly their growth was also faster than the wild type at lower temperature. For large-scale cultivation, the direct feedback control of glucose using an on-line ethanol concentration monitor for ubiquinone production of yeast ERppt1 by high-cell-density fermentation was investigated and the fermentation parameters (e.g., dissolved oxygen, pH, ethanol concentration, oxygen uptake rate, carbon dioxide evolution rate and respiration quotient) were also discussed. After 90 h cultures, the yeast dry cell weight reached 57 gl(-1) and the ubiquinone yield reached 23 mgl(-1). In addition, plasmid stability was maintained at high level throughout the fermentation.     

Agitator speed and dissolved oxygen effects in xanthan fermentations

Agitation speed affects both the extent of motion in Xanthan fermentation broths because of their rheological complexity and the rate of oxygen transfer. The combination of these two effects causes the dissolved oxygen concentration and its spatial uniformity also to change with agitator speed. Separating these complex interactions has been achieved in this study in the following way. First, the influence of agitation speeds of 500 and 1000 rpm has been investigated at a constant nonlimiting dissolved oxygen concentration of 20% of air saturation using gas blending. Under these controlled dissolved oxygen conditions, the results demonstrate that the biological performance of the culture was independent of agitation speed as long as broth homogeneity could be ensured. With the development of increasing rheological complexity lending to stagnant regions at Xanthan concentrations >20 g/L, it is shown that the superior bulk mixing achieved at 1000 rpm, compared with 500 rpm, leading to an increased proportion of the cells in the fermentor to be metabolically active and hence higher microbial oxygen uptake rates, was responsible for the enhanced performance. Second, the effects of varying dissolved oxygen are compared with a control in each case with an agitator speed of 1000 rpm to ensure full motion, but with a fixed, nonlimiting dissolved oxygen of 20% air saturation. The specific oxygen uptake rate of the culture in the exponential phase, determined using steady-state gas analysis data, was found to be independent of dissolved oxygen above 6% air saturation, whereas the specific growth rate of the culture was not influenced by dissolved oxygen, even at levels as low as 3%, although a decrease in Xanthan production rate could be measured. In the production phase, the critical oxygen level was determined to be 6% to 10%, so that, below this value, both specific Xanthan production rate as well as specific oxygen uptake rate decreased significantly. In addition, it is shown that the dynamic method of oxygen uptake determination is unsuitable even for moderately viscous Xanthan broths. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On-line characterization of a hybridoma cell culture process

The on-line determination of the physiological state of a cell culture process requires reliable on-line measurements of various parameters and calculations of specific rates from these measurements. The cell concentration of a hybridoma culture was estimated on-line by measuring optical density (OD) with a laser turbidity probe. The oxygen uptake rate (OUR) was determined by monitoring dynamically dissolved oxygen concentration profiles and closing oxygen balances in the culture. The base addition for neutralizing lactate produced by cells was also monitored on-line via a balance. Using OD and OUR measurements, the specific growth and specific oxygen consumption rates were determined on-line. By combining predetermined stoichiometric relationships among oxygen and glucose consumption and lactate production, the specific glucose consumption and lactate production rates were also calculated on-line. Using these on-line measurements and calculations, the hybridoma culture process was characterized on-line by identifying the physiological states. They will also facilitate the implementation of nutrient feeding strategies for fed-batch and perfusion cultures. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Software sensors for fermentation processes

Four software sensors based on standard on-line data from fermentation processes and simple mathematical models were used to monitor a number of state variables in Escherichia coli fed-batch processes: the biomass concentration, the specific growth rate, the oxygen transfer capacity of the bioreactor, and the new R _O/S sensor which is the ratio between oxygen and energy substrate consumption. The R _O/S variable grows continuously in a fed-batch culture with constant glucose feed, which reflects the increasing maintenance demand at declining specific growth rate. The R _O/S sensor also responded to rapid pH shift-downs reflecting the increasing demand for maintenance energy. It is suggested that this sensor may be used to monitor the extent of physiological stress that demands energy for survival.     

重组毕赤酵母表达工程植酸酶发酵过渡相参数相关分析

微生物发酵是一个涉及不同尺度的互相关联的复杂生物系统的过程 ,将重组毕赤酵母表达工程植酸酶过渡相的在线和离线参数进行了相关分析研究。通过对发酵过程的在线细胞代谢生理参数 (OUR)和环境参数 (DO)的变化进行相关分析表明 :甘油和葡萄糖碳源对AOX合成的阻遏强度不同 ,葡萄糖的阻遏性明显强于甘油 ,相对于醇氧化酶启动子 ,葡萄糖为强阻遏性底物。根据甲醇代谢途径关键酶酶活性变化 ,推测出各代谢途径流量分布的变化 ,即甲醇诱导后糖酵解途径和三羧酸循环途径代谢流比例下降 ,而磷酸戊糖途径中代谢流通量上升 ,甲醇完全氧化代谢流成为主要代谢流 ,与过渡相在线参数pH、OUR(CER)和RQ等相关分析的甲醇代谢途径的变化结果一致。此外 ,建立了生产过程在线控制与分析的标准 :当OUR和CER逐渐增大 ,则可判断甲醇已被利用和启动子已被甲醇成功诱导 ,即工程植酸酶开始启动表达.     

Improved poly-ε-lysine biosynthesis using Streptomyces noursei NRRL 5126 by controlling dissolved oxygen during fermentation

The growth kinetics of Streptomyces noursei NRRL 5126 was investigated under different aeration and agitation combinations in a 5.0 l stirred tank fermenter. Poly-epsilon-lysine biosynthesis, cell mass formation, and glycerol utilization rates were affected markedly by both aeration and agitation. An agitation speed of 300 rpm and aeration rate at 2.0 vvm supported better yields of 1,622.81 mg/l with highest specific productivity of 15 mg/l.h. Fermentation kinetics performed under different aeration and agitation conditions showed poly- epsilon-lysine fermentation to be a growth-associated production. A constant DO at 40% in the growth phase and 20% in the production phase increased the poly-epsilon-lysine yield as well as cell mass to their maximum values of 1,992.35 mg/l and 20.73 g/l, respectively. The oxygen transfer rate (OTR), oxygen utilization rate (OUR), and specific oxygen uptake rates (qO2) in the fermentation broth increased in the growth phase and remained unchanged in the stationary phase.     

A general model for aerobic yeast growth: batch growth

A general model for aerobic yeast growth in batch culture is presented. It is based on the concept that the aerobic metabolism of all yeasts is determined by the relative sizes of the transport rate of sugar into the cell and the transport rate of respiratory intermediates into the mitochondrion. If the rate of sugar uptake rate exceeds the rate of transport of respiratory intermediates into the mitochondrion (as in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. uvarum, and S. pombe), the metabolism exhibits the features of ethanol excretion and limited specific oxygen uptake rate. If the rate of transport of respiratory intermediates into the mitochondrion is of the same order as the transport of sugar into the cell (as in Candida utilis), the metabolism is characterized by little or no ethanol excretion and a much higher specific oxygen uptake rate. Batch data from an extensive range of yeast and carbon sources is used to illustrate the use of this model. The ability of this model to fit such an extensive range of experimental data suggests that it can be used as a generalized model for aerobic yeast growth.     

Application of dynamic calorimetry for monitoring fermentation processes

The rate of heat evolution (kcal/liter-hr) in mycelial fermentations for novobiocin and cellulase production with media containing noncellular solids was measured by an in situ dynamic calorimetric procedure. Thermal data so obtained have proved significant both in monitoring cell concentration during the trophophase (growth phase) and in serving as a physiological variable in the fermentation process. The validity of this technique has been demonstrated by closing the overall material and energy balances. The maintenance energy in a batch fermentation can also be calculated by integrating heat evolution data. This integration method is applicable to a fermentation lacking a precise cell growth curve. The maintenance coefficient, obtained for the novobiocin fermentation by Streptomyces niveus, is equal to 0.028 g glucose equivalent/g cell-hr. The production of novobiocin in the idio-phase (production phase) also correlates well with the amount of energy catabolixed for maintenance and this results in an observed conversion yield of glucose to novobiocin of 11.8 mg of novobiocin produced per gram of glucose catabolized. A new physiological variable, kilocalories of heat evolved per millimole of oxygen consumed, has been proposed to monitor the state of cells during the fermentation. This method may provide a simple way to monitor on-line shifts in the efficiency of cell respiration and changes in growth yields during a microbial process.     

Dissolved oxygen as principal parameter for conidia production of biocontrol fungi Trichoderma viride in non-Newtonian wastewater

Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was selected as a principal parameter for translating results of shake flask fermentation of Trichoderma viride (biocontrol fungi) to a fermenter scale. All fermentations were carried out in a 7.5 l automated fermenter with a working volume of 4 l. Fermentation performance parameters such as volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k _L a), oxygen uptake rate (OUR), rheology, conidia concentration, glucose consumption, soluble chemical oxygen demand, entomotoxicity and inhibition index were measured. The conidia concentration, entomotoxicity and inhibition index were either stable or improved at lower DO concentration (30%). Variation of OUR aided in assessing the oxygen supply capacity of the fermenter and biomass growth. Meanwhile, rheological profiles demonstrated the variability of wastewater during fermentation due to mycelial growth and conidiation. In order to estimate power consumption, the agitation and the aeration requirements were quantified in terms of area under the curves, agitation vs. time (rpm h), and aeration vs. time (lpm h). This simple and novel strategy of fermenter operation proved to be highly successful which can be adopted to other biocontrol fungi.     

On-line rheological measurements and control in fungal fermentations

A system for on-line rheological measurements and control in filamentous fermentations is presented. The output signals from the control unit can be used in terms of process control. Diluting the broth in a growth controlled feed pattern was found to influence the viscosity of the broth and lead to process improvements. Just diluting the fermentation broth to keep the viscosity below a preset value was seen to give only temporary process improvements. The higher the viscosity, the less effective the viscosity controlled dilutions. The failure to get full control over the viscosity by the dilution techniques used is caused by the large number of factors influencing the rheological properties of an Aspergillus niger culture. The factors shown in this work to influence the rheological properties of the fermentation broth were the biomass concentration, the specific growth rate, mixing qualities (impeller speed and working volume), and the dissolved oxygen concentration. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Respirometric assay for biofilm kinetics estimation: parameter identifiability and retrievability

Currently, no fast and accurate methods exist for measuring extant biokinetic parameters for biofilm systems. This article presents a new approach to measure extant biokinetic parameters of biofilms and examines the numerical feasibility of such a method. A completely mixed attached growth bioreactor is subjected to a pulse of substrate, and oxygen consumption is monitored by on-line measurement of dissolved oxygen concentration in the bulk liquid. The oxygen concentration profile is then fit with a mechanistic mathematical model for the biofilm to estimate biokinetic parameters. In this study a transient biofilm model is developed and solved to generate dissolved oxygen profiles in the bulk liquid. Sensitivity analysis of the model reveals that the dissolved oxygen profiles are sufficiently sensitive to the biokinetic parameters-the maximum specific growth rate coefficient (insertion markμ) and the half-saturation coefficient (Ks)-to support parameter estimation if accurate estimates of other model parameters can be obtained. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted with the model to add typical measurement error to the generated dissolved oxygen profiles. Even with measurement error in the dissolved oxygen profile, a pair of biokinetic parameters is always retrievable. The geometric mean of the parameter estimates from the Monte Carlo simulations prove to be an accurate estimator for the true biokinetic values. Higher precision is obtained for insertion markμ estimates than for Ks estimates. In summary, this theoretical analysis reveals that an on-line respirometric assay holds promise for measuring extant biofilm kinetic parameters. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Novel calibration method for mass spectrometers for on-line gas analysis. Set-up for the monitoring of a bacterial fermentation

A set-up procedure for the minimisation of signal noise of a capillary inlet mass spectrometer system, enabling direct use of data without noise filtering or drift correction, is described. A reliable calibration method was developed, involving standard calibration mixtures determined by the extreme vertices design. This novel method was shown to be the most accurate in comparison with a number of commonly used methods. These procedures enabled reliable on-line fermenter headspace gas analysis. With a relatively inexpensive mass spectrometer, monitoring of a fermentation and accurate estimation of oxygen uptake rate, carbon dioxide evolution rate, respiratory quotient and biomass concentration was possible.