Noninferior periodic operation of the biological reactor

The optimal periodic operation of the biological reactor was studied from the standpoint of the two-objective programming problem. The noninferior set with respect to the cell productivity and the conversion of the substrate into the biomass was determined by use of the optimization technique due to Miele. It was shown that the noninferior set was composed in general of the repeated batch branch and the repeated fed-batch branch, which occupy the high-productivity portion and the high-conversion portion of the noninferior set, respectively. However, the latter branch disappears in the case of growth kinetics with no substrate inhibition. In addition, the extreme points of the noninferior set yielding the maximal productivity and the maximal conversion represent such operations that are equivalent to the steady-state operation (chemostat culture) and the batch operation, respectively.     

Enhanced acetone-butanol fermentation using repeated fed-batch operation coupled with cell recycle by membrane and simultaneous removal of inhibitory products by adsorption

A novel acetone-butanol production process was developed which integrates a repeated fed-batch fermentation with continuous product removal and cell recycle. The inhibitory product concentrations of the fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum were reduced by the simultaneous extraction process using polyvinylpyridine (PVP) as an adsorbent. Because of the reduced inhibition effect, a higher specific cell growth rate and thus a higher product formation rate was achieved. The cell recycle using membrane separation increased the total cell mass density and, therefore, enhanced the reactor productivity. The repeated fed-batchoperation overcame the drawbacks typically associated with a batch operation such as down times, long lag period, and the limitation on the maximum initial substrate concentration allowed due to the substrate inhibition. Unlike a continuous operation, the repeated fed-batch operation could beoperated for a long time at a relatively higher substrate concentration without sacrificing the substrate loss in the effluent. As a result, the integrated process reached 47.2 g/L in the equivalent solvent concentration (including acetone, butanol, and ethanol) and 1.69 g/L . h in the fermentor productivity, on average, over a 239.5-h period. Compared with a controlled traditional batch acetone-butanol fermentation, the equivalent solvent concentration and the tormentor productivity were increased by 140% and 320%, respectively. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons Inc.     

Periodic operation of immobilized cell systems: analysis

The authors' mathematical model of transient immobilized cell growth and product formation is applied here to examine the performance of an immobilized cell system subject to periodic cycling of the rate-limiting substrate supply. The model system consists of a single hydrogel-like (porous) particle entrapping viable microorganisms. Proper nutrient cycling is shown to yield a relaxed periodic system and to virtually eliminate the leakage of biomass from the support that is commonly observed experimentally in steady (continuous nutrient supply) operation of these systems. The use of cyclic operation is evaluated by calculating the average product yield (the ratio of product formed to substrate consumed) and the average product flux from the particle (a measure of the total productivity of the system), for various cycling rates. Cycling increased the average product yield by at least a factor of three in nongrowth-related fermentations, relative to steady operation, without any significant sacrifice in average total productivity. Growth-related fermentations lost significant total productivity under most cycling conditions, while the average product yield was approximately unchanged at all cycling rates. Thus, immobilization in conjunction with periodic operation should be considered as an alternative process design for the production of nongrowth-related products such as penicillin and monoclonal antibodies.     

Maximum cell productivity by repeated fed-batch culture for constant yield case

Optimal operation of repeatedly fed-batch was determined by the continuous maximum principle for the constant yield case. The objective of maximum cell productivity for a fixed cell concentration was achieved by finding the substrate feeding policy that minimized the processing time. Analytical criteria for the optimal filling policy show that an exponential policy is optimum when the specific growth rate has a maximum, and also that operation in the simple repeated batch mode is optimum when the specific growth rate is monotonic increasing. Comparisons between optimal repeated fed-batch culture and other modes of operation were made for the case of substrate-inhibited growth. Cell productivity by repeated fed-batch exceeds both batch and continuous operation for the case of low residual substrate concentration.     

Δ′-Dehydrogenation of steroids byArthrobacter simplex immobilized in calcium polygalacturonate beads

Summary Arthrobacter simplex ATCC 6946 (viable cells) was immobilized in a calcium polygalacturonate gel. The trapped cells were used for repeated batchwise bioconversion of steroids. Reichstein's compound S and hydrocortisone were dehydrogenated introducing a double bond between C₁ and C₂ of ring A. The products 1-dehydro S and prednisolone, respectively, were identified by high pressure liquid chromatography. Steroid dehydrogenase activity increased in the system when an artificial electron acceptor, such as menadione (vitamin K₃) was present in the reaction mixture. An airlift-type reactor was used to bioconvert up to 90% of substrate in 15 min, under optimal conditions. The gel entrapped cell preparations were used for repeated batch bioconversion during 30 days; 69 batch bioconversions for Reichstein's compound S were performed during 15 days of operation of the reactor. The operational stability of the process and the feasibility of repeated batch bioconversions was shown to be comparable to similar processes.     

The effect of the yield expression on the existence of oscillatory behavior in a three-variable model of a continuous fermentation system subject to product inhibition

A three-variable model of a continuous fermentation process characterised by product inhibition is studied. It is shown that if the cell to substrate yield is constant, the system cannot have periodic solutions. If, on the other hand, the yield term is a variable function of substrate concentration, the model will exhibit oscillations in the cells, substrate and product concentrations in the form of Hopf bifurcation in the underlying system of three nonlinear, ordinary differential equations which comprise the model.     

Investigation of vinegar production using a novel shaken repeated batch culture system

Nowadays, bioprocesses are developed or optimized on small scale. Also, vinegar industry is motivated to reinvestigate the established repeated batch fermentation process. As yet, there is no small‐scale culture system for optimizing fermentation conditions for repeated batch bioprocesses. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose a new shaken culture system for parallel repeated batch vinegar fermentation. A new operation mode — the flushing repeated batch — was developed. Parallel repeated batch vinegar production could be established in shaken overflow vessels in a completely automated operation with only one pump per vessel. This flushing repeated batch was first theoretically investigated and then empirically tested. The ethanol concentration was online monitored during repeated batch fermentation by semiconductor gas sensors. It was shown that the switch from one ethanol substrate quality to different ethanol substrate qualities resulted in prolonged lag phases and durations of the first batches. In the subsequent batches the length of the fermentations decreased considerably. This decrease in the respective lag phases indicates an adaptation of the acetic acid bacteria mixed culture to the specific ethanol substrate quality. Consequently, flushing repeated batch fermentations on small scale are valuable for screening fermentation conditions and, thereby, improving industrial‐scale bioprocesses such as vinegar production in terms of process robustness, stability, and productivity. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:1158–1168, 2013     

Bioreactor operating strategy inThalictrum rugosum plant cell culture for the production of berberine

Optimal substrate feeding strategy in bioreactor operation was investigated to increase the production of secondary metabolite in a high density culture of plant cell. It was accomplished by the previously proposed structured kinetic model that describes the cell growth and synthesis of the secondary metabolite, berberine, in a batch suspension culture ofThalictrum rugosum. Four types of operation strategies for sugar feeding intoT. rugosum culture were proposed based on the model, which were the periodic fedbatch operations to maintain the cell activity, the cell viability, and the specific production rate, and the perfusion operation to maintain the specific production rate. From the simulation results of these strategies, it could be found that the periodic fed-batch operation and the perfusion operation could achieve the higher volumetric production of berberine (mg berberine/L) and specific production yield (mg berberine/g dry cell weight) than those of batch cultures. Although the highest productivity (mg berberine/day) of berberine could be achieved by the periodic fed-batch operation to maintain the cell activity compared with the other strategies in the periodic fed-batch operations, the specific production yield was low due to the higher maximum dry cell weight than other cases. The periodic fed-batch operation to maintain cell viability resulted in the highest volumetric production of berberine and specific production yield compared with the other strategies. In the cases of maintaining the specific production rate, the per-formance of the periodic fed-batch operation was better than that of the perfusion operation in the respect of the volumetric production and productivity of berberine. In order to increase the volumetric production of berberine and to get the highest specific production yield, the periodic fed-batch operation to maintain cell viability could be chosen as the optimal operating strategy in high density, culture ofT. rugosum plant cell.     

Reactor Design for the Novozym 435 ® -catalysed Enantioselective Esterification of 4-methyloctanoic Acid

The bench scale Novozym 435 ® catalysed esterification of 4-methyloctanoic acid with ethanol was studied at 35°C. Esterification in a batch reactor (molar ratio of 1:8 (acid:EtOH)) resulted in the isolation of the enantiomerically enriched product (ee p =81%) and substrate (ee s =93%). In order to integrate reaction and separation, liquid-vapour equilibria calculations were performed showing that an excess of ethanol results in a very low ester fraction in the vapour phase. Since this is undesirable for an integrated process of reaction and product removal, a repeated batch reaction was performed using a molar ratio of 10:1 (acid:EtOH). After six cycles (45% conversion) the ee of 4-methyloctanoic acid ethyl ester turned out to be 80%. For different E values the ee p was calculated for batch and repeated batch reactions. It was shown that in all cases the ee p was higher for the repeated batch reaction. However, the product is not enantiopure since the E value of the reaction is rather low at the low ethanol concentration used. An alternative approach would be the continuous separation of the product during the reaction. A mathematical model was developed to describe esterification in a packed bed reactor integrated with product separation. This model shows that integration of reaction and product removal in advance is not suitable either to obtain an enantiomerically pure product. Since the optimal reaction conditions (high ethanol concentration) and the optimal separation system (low ethanol concentration) do not match in this reaction, the preference is given to the batch reaction at high ethanol concentrations because in that case the highest enantioselectivity of the enzyme is obtained.     

Reactor Design for the Novozym 435 ® -catalysed Enantioselective Esterification of 4-methyloctanoic Acid

The bench scale Novozym 435 ® catalysed esterification of 4-methyloctanoic acid with ethanol was studied at 35°C. Esterification in a batch reactor (molar ratio of 1:8 (acid:EtOH)) resulted in the isolation of the enantiomerically enriched product (ee p =81%) and substrate (ee s =93%). In order to integrate reaction and separation, liquid-vapour equilibria calculations were performed showing that an excess of ethanol results in a very low ester fraction in the vapour phase. Since this is undesirable for an integrated process of reaction and product removal, a repeated batch reaction was performed using a molar ratio of 10:1 (acid:EtOH). After six cycles (45% conversion) the ee of 4-methyloctanoic acid ethyl ester turned out to be 80%. For different E values the ee p was calculated for batch and repeated batch reactions. It was shown that in all cases the ee p was higher for the repeated batch reaction. However, the product is not enantiopure since the E value of the reaction is rather low at the low ethanol concentration used. An alternative approach would be the continuous separation of the product during the reaction. A mathematical model was developed to describe esterification in a packed bed reactor integrated with product separation. This model shows that integration of reaction and product removal in advance is not suitable either to obtain an enantiomerically pure product. Since the optimal reaction conditions (high ethanol concentration) and the optimal separation system (low ethanol concentration) do not match in this reaction, the preference is given to the batch reaction at high ethanol concentrations because in that case the highest enantioselectivity of the enzyme is obtained.     

Continuous delta 1-hydrocortisone dehydrogenation with in situ product recovery.

A continuous aerated process for delta 1-hydrocortisone dehydrogenation by polyacrylamide-hydrazide (PAAH) bead-entrapped A. simplex cells was developed. The process allows for stable conversion of 1.6 g l-1 hydrocortisone (x 5 the solubility in water), made possible by the incorporation of selected cosolvent [5% (v/v) triethyleneglycol]. A large difference in substrate and product solubilities in the cosolvent-buffer medium allowed for in situ product recovery in an aerated, fluidized-bed, immobilized-cell reactor by the controlled addition of fine product-adsorbing powder (microcrystalline cellulose). The product was recovered at the reactor outlet as a fine complex with the adsorbent. Stable continuous operation of at least 4 weeks was recorded for a prototype reactor configuration, followed by the exhibition of similar operational stability in a modified version of a commercially available 2.5-l airlift reactor. Our results demonstrate that in addition to an obvious desirable cosolvent effect on substrate solubility enhancement, it may also enable easy in situ product recovery by creating a large gap in the solubilities of the substrate and the product in the cosolvent-containing reaction medium.     

Efficient Repeated Use of Alcohol Dehydrogenase with NAD + Regeneration in an Aqueous-organic Two-phase System

Bioconversion of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde was carried out in an aqueous-organic two-phase reaction system by the repeated use of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH) and NAD + with coenzyme regeneration. Both HLADH and the coenzyme were efficiently entrapped in the aqueous phase, while the substrate was supplied successively from the organic phase and the product was accumulated in the organic phase. Optimum conditions for cinnamaldehyde production in the aqueous-organic two-phase system were also examined, including substrate concentration, pH, and organic solvent type. Under suitable conditions, both HLADH and NAD + in the aqueous-organic two-phase system could be reused, and NAD + cycling numbers of 3040 were obtained after repeated operation for 40 &#117 h.     

Batch culture kinetics of l-lactate fermentation employing Streptococcus sp. IO-1

We isolated a l-lactate producing cocci which grows at 37°C as the optimal temperature and pH of 7.0 that is capable of converting glucose to l-lactate with a conversion rate greater than 90%. No other stereochemical isomer of lactic acid was detected in the culture broth by enzymatic analysis. The fermentation exhibits typical end product inhibition and this was confirmed by culturing using medium to which 1% lactate was supplemented as the initial inhibitor. Numerical analysis of the cultures which were carried out at different initial sugar concentrations showed that the specific rates for growth, substrate consumption and lactate formation could be expressed using uncompetitive inhibition formulae. Using these equations, it may be possible to estimate the cell density, remaining sugar concentration and product formation at any phase of the batch fermentation without operation.     

Efficient Repeated Use of Alcohol Dehydrogenase with NAD + Regeneration in an Aqueous-organic Two-phase System

Bioconversion of cinnamyl alcohol to cinnamaldehyde was carried out in an aqueous-organic two-phase reaction system by the repeated use of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH) and NAD + with coenzyme regeneration. Both HLADH and the coenzyme were efficiently entrapped in the aqueous phase, while the substrate was supplied successively from the organic phase and the product was accumulated in the organic phase. Optimum conditions for cinnamaldehyde production in the aqueous-organic two-phase system were also examined, including substrate concentration, pH, and organic solvent type. Under suitable conditions, both HLADH and NAD + in the aqueous-organic two-phase system could be reused, and NAD + cycling numbers of 3040 were obtained after repeated operation for 40 λh.     

Lysis-free separation of hybridoma cells by continuous disc stack centrifugation

The non-destructive removal of hybridoma cells from fermentation broth with an improved disc stack centrifuge (CSA1, Westfalia Separator AG, Oelde, Germany) was investigated. The centrifuge was equipped with a hydrohermetic feed system, which allowed a gentle, shearless acceleration of the cells inside the bowl. No significant cell damage was observed during the separation of hybridoma cells from repeated batch fermentation in 100 liter scale. In the clarified liquid phase there was no increase in Lactate-Dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Consequently, there was no increased exposure of the product to intracellular components.Due to continuous operation with a periodic and automatic discharge of sediment, a high throughput was achieved without any considerable loss of product. The clarification for mammalian cells was in the range of 99% to 99.9%, depending on the operating conditions. The content of cell debris and other small particles decreased about 30 to 50%, depending on the particle load in the feed stream. The centrifuge was fully contained; cleaning and sterilizing in place possible. Therefore, the decice could be integrated easily into the fermentation process.     

利用固定化重组大肠杆菌细胞生产D-塔格糖

利用经海藻酸钙包埋的重组大肠杆菌细胞催化D-半乳糖生产D-塔格糖,考察了细胞包埋量、反应条件对固定化细胞催化效率以及对D-塔格糖生产稳定性的影响。确定的最优转化条件为:温度65℃,pH 6.5,添加终浓度为1 mmol/L Mn²⁺,底物(D-半乳糖)浓度100 g/L,重组大肠杆菌细胞用量40 g/L。固定化小球在0.3%戊二醛溶液中交联30 min可以显著提高其在高温下的机械强度。考察了异构化反应体系中硼酸与底物间的摩尔比对产率的影响。研究结果表明,添加适量的硼酸可以改变原有的化学反应平衡,实现D-塔格糖的高产。利用D-半乳糖为底物在最优的反应条件下催化24 h,固定化细胞对D-半乳糖的转化率最高,可达65.8%,连续转化8批次的平均转化率为60.6%,为工业化生产D-塔格糖奠定了基础。     

Evolutionary optimization of the catalytic efficiency of enzymes.

1. The rate equation for a generalized Michaelian type of enzymic reaction mechanism has been analyzed in order to establish how the mechanism should be kinetically designed in order to optimize the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme for a given average magnitude of true and apparent first-order rate constants in the mechanism at given concentrations of enzyme, substrate and product. 2. As long as on-velocity constants for substrate and product binding to the enzyme have not reached the limiting value for a diffusion-controlled association process, the optimal state of enzyme operation will be characterized by forward (true and apparent) first-order rate constants of equal magnitude and reverse rate constants of equal magnitude. The drop in free energy driving the catalysed reaction will occur to an equal extent for each reaction step in the mechanism. All internal equilibrium constants will be of equal magnitude and reflect only the closeness of the catalysed reaction to equilibrium conditions. 3. When magnitudes of on-velocity constants for substrate and product binding have reached their upper limits, the optimal kinetic design of the reaction mechanism becomes more complex and has to be established by numerical methods. Numerical solutions, calculated for triosephosphate isomerase, indicate that this particular enzyme may or may not be considered to exhibit close to maximal efficiency, depending on what value is assigned to the upper limit for a ligand association rate constant. 4. Arguments are presented to show that no useful information on the evolutionary optimization of the catalytic efficiency of enzymes can be obtained by previously taken approaches that are based on the application of linear free-energy relationships for rate and equilibrium constants in the reaction mechanism.     

Optimization of human serum albumin production in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris by repeated fed-batch fermentation

An optimization method for repeated fed-batch fermentation was established with the aim of improving the recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) production in Pichia pastoris. A simulation model for fed-batch fermentation was formulated and the optimal methanol-feeding policy calculated by dynamic programming method using five different methanol-feeding periods. The necessary state variables were collected from the calculated results and used for further optimization of repeated fed-batch fermentation. The optimal operation policy was investigated using the pre-collected state variables by estimating the overall profit per total methanol-feeding time. The calculated results indicated that the initial cell mass from the 2nd fed-batch fermentation on should be set at 35 or 40 g and methanol-feeding time at 264 h. In repeated fed-batch fermentation using the optimal operation policy, actual culture volume was in good agreement with the values simulated by model equations, but some discrepancy was observed in rHSA production. Minimum experiments were therefore carried out to re-evaluate rHSA production levels, which were then applied in re-calculations to determine the optimal operation policy. The optimal policy for repeated fed-batch fermentation established in the present study (i.e., 4-times-repeated fed-batch fermentation) achieved a 47% increase in annual rHSA production. Optimization of the culture period also brought about a 28% increase in annual rHSA production even in simple (not repeated) fed-batch fermentation.     

Enzymatic reactions in small spatial volumes: comment on a model of Hess and Mikhailov

Recently Hess and Mikhailov pointed out that in small subcellular compartments diffusion is so fast that mixing is instantaneous on the time scale of many enzymatic reactions. This opens the possibility for synchronizing individual reaction events. To illustrate this fact they discuss as example an irreversible enzymatic reaction with allosteric product activation. Under appropriate conditions their model shows coherent spiking in the number of product molecules, caused by the strong correlation between reaction events. In this model only substrate binding is an indeterministic process, all other subsequent transitions between different enzyme states being deterministic, contrary to real processes. The purpose of the present paper was to investigate this interesting phenomenon by means of a more realistic modification of the original model, with only probabilistic transitions. In an attempt to obtain spiking, which was not observed under these conditions, the model was extended to make a clear distinction between allosteric high and low affinity substrate binding, in contrast to the original model using a product dependent mean binding probability. However no periodic signal was detectable in the indeterministic version of the Hess Mikhailov model or the extended version, either by means of direct visualization or on autocorrelation or Fourier analysis. Reasons why spiking is not observed in indeterministic enzyme models are discussed.     

Thermodynamic regulation of human short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase by substrate and product binding

Human short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (hSCAD) catalyzes the first matrix step in the mitochondrial beta-oxidation cycle for substrates with four and six carbons. Previous studies have shown that the act of substrate/product binding induces a large enzyme potential shift in acyl-CoA dehydrogenases. The objective of this work was to examine the thermodynamic regulation of this process through direct characterization of the electrochemical properties of hSCAD using spectroelectrochemical methodology. A large amount of substrate activation was observed in the enzymatic reaction of hSCAD (+33 mV), the greatest magnitude measured in any acyl-CoA dehydrogenase to date. To examine the role of the substrate as well as the product in electron transfer by hSCAD, a catalytic base mutation (E368Q) was constructed. The E368Q mutation inactivates the reductive and oxidative pathways such that the individual effects of substrate and product binding on the redox potential can be investigated. Optimal substrate (butyryl-CoA) was seen to shift the flavin redox potential slightly more positive (+38 mV) than did optimal product (crotonyl-CoA) (+31 mV), a finding opposite of that observed in another short-chain enzyme, bacterial SCAD. These results indicate that substrate redox activation occurs in hSCAD leading to a large enzyme midpoint potential shift. Substrate binding in hSCAD appears to make a larger contribution than does product to thermodynamic modulation.