Scale-up of dialysis fermentation for high cell density cultivation of Escherichia coli

In dialysis fermentations inhibiting metabolites can be removed from cell suspensions resulting in a prolonged exponential growth phase and higher production yields. Because of successful high cell density cultivations of Escherichia coli in a laboratory dialysis reactor, a scale-up of the process was investigated. To provide sufficient membrane area for dialysis in a technical scale fermenter, an external membrane module was used, that was also applied for oxygen supply to the culture in the external loop. Cultivations with recombinant E. coli K12, with and without induction, in 2- and 300-l reactors were carried out using external modules. Cell densities exceeding 190 g l(-1), previously obtained in laboratory dialysis fermentation, were also produced with external dialysis modules. Protein concentration in a 300-l reactor was increased to the 3.8-fold of industrial fed-batch-fermentations.