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Related Experiment Video

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Bioreactor Assembly for Continuous Culture of Complex Fecal Communities

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Continuous pullulan fermentation in a biofilm reactor.

Kuan-Chen Cheng¹, Ali Demirci, Jeffrey M Catchmark

¹Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

|February 18, 2011

Summary

This study optimized continuous pullulan fermentation using a plastic composite support (PCS) biofilm reactor. The PCS biofilm reactor enhanced pullulan productivity through effective biomass retention.

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Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Microbial Fermentation
Biopolymers

Background:

Microorganisms form biofilms on solid supports, a natural immobilization method.
Pullulan, a polysaccharide, has various industrial applications.
Optimizing fermentation processes is key to efficient biopolymer production.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a continuous pullulan fermentation process using a plastic composite support (PCS) biofilm reactor.
To determine optimal conditions for pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans.
To evaluate the impact of PCS on pullulan yield and cell morphology.

Main Methods:

Utilized a pigment-reduced Aureobasidium pullulans strain (ATCC 201253).
Employed a plastic composite support (PCS) biofilm reactor for continuous fermentation.
Optimized feeding medium composition (sucrose, ammonium sulfate, yeast extract) and dilution rate.

Main Results:

Achieved maximum pullulan concentration of 8.3 g/l and production rate of 1.33 g/l/h.
Identified optimal medium: 15 g/l sucrose, 0.9 g/l ammonium sulfate, 0.4 g/l yeast extract at a 0.16 h⁻¹ dilution rate.
Observed increased hyphal cell ratio of A. pullulans on PCS, with 93.0% pullulan purity.

Conclusions:

Continuous pullulan fermentation is effectively achieved using a PCS biofilm reactor.
Biomass retention in the PCS biofilm reactor significantly increases pullulan productivity.
The study demonstrates a viable method for enhanced biopolymer production.