Many filamentous organisms tend to grow as aggregates in submersed cultivations. These pellets can grow to a size of several millimeters in diameter resulting in strong limitation of oxygen and nutrients for the cells in the core region. As consequence the productivity of the whole culture is impaired. Destroying the pellets by high stirrer speed, increasing the inoculum volume or adjusting the culture to extreme pH results in higher costs and shows only moderate effect. Microparticle enhanced cultivation (MPEC) suppresses pellet formation in cultivation of filamentous microorganism, which results in fine growing mycelium. At DECHEMA Research Institute it was demonstrated that MPEC leads to an increase in biomass and productivity of various fungal cultivations.

Currently only commercially available inorganic and organic particles were used. For the project tailor-made particles with characteristics specific for the chosen natural compounds will be developed. The »layer-by-layer« technology of Surflay Nanotec GmbH enables the selective modification of particles by coating with functionalized polymers. Current industrial producer strains from the W42 strain collection in combination with highly efficient fermentation processes will be used for testing the influence of tailor-made particles on morphology and productivity. Optimized processes based on the use of specific particles will be implemented in praxis directly. Apart from the increase of productivity the reduction of environmental burden (waste water, bio-waste, energy- and waterconsumption) is the primary objective of this project.

Project Operation:
DECHEMA Forschungsinstitut
Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25
60486 Frankfurt am Main
Telefon    +49 69 7564-337
dfi@dechema.de
www.dechema-dfi.de

W42 Industrial Biotechnology GmbH, Marl
www.w42biotechnology.de

Surflay Nanotec GmbH, Berlin
www.surflay.com

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