Intensification and technoeconomic assessment of prodigiosin extractive fermentation using multistage continuous...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microbial Production
• Natural Products

Background:

• Growing demand for natural, safe bioactive molecules like prodigiosin.
• Prodigiosin exhibits antimicrobial and antitumor properties, making it a compound of interest.
• Traditional production methods for prodigiosin face limitations including product inhibition and high costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of multistage continuous reactors (MSCR) for improved prodigiosin production.
• To optimize MSCR parameters, including dilution rates and reactor volume configurations, for extractive fermentation.
• To assess the economic viability of the optimized MSCR system for competitive prodigiosin bioprocessing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a factorial design to evaluate dilution rates (0.042 - 0.050 h⁻¹) and mixed reactor volume configurations (1 L - 0.5 L).
• Employed extractive fermentation within the MSCR system to facilitate continuous product removal.
• Modeled the optimal system using kinetic equations and assessed economic feasibility at various dilution rates.

Main Results:

• Separating growth and production/extraction stages in MSCR significantly improved productivity by 30%.
• The optimized MSCR system led to a cost reduction of 20% compared to single continuous systems.
• Kinetic modeling and economic assessment confirmed the viability of MSCR for prodigiosin production.

Conclusions:

• Multistage continuous reactors (MSCR) offer a promising strategy for intensifying prodigiosin production.
• Extractive fermentation within MSCR systems enhances productivity and reduces operational costs.
• MSCR technology presents a pathway towards more economically competitive bioprocesses for valuable natural products like prodigiosin.