This research focuses on the detection ofAeromonas hydrophilausing fiber optic microchannel biosensor. Microchannel was fabricated by photolithography method. The fiber optic was chosen as signal transmitting medium and light absorption characteristic of different microorganisms was investigated for possible detection. Experimental results showed thatAeromonas hydrophilacan be detected at the region of UV-Vis spectra between 352 nm and 354 nm which was comparable to measurement provided by UV spectrophotometer and also theoretical calculation by Beer-Lambert Absorption Law. The entire detection can be done in less than 10 minutes using a total volume of 3 μL only.This result promises good potential of this fiber optic microchannel sensor as a reliable, portable, and disposable sensor.

This paper describes the development of an integrated system using a dry film resistant (DFR) microfluidic channel consisting of pulsed field dielectrophoretic field-flow-fractionation (DEP-FFF) separation and optical detection. The prototype chip employs the pulse DEP-FFF concept to separate the cells (Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) from a continuous flow, and the rate of release of the cells was measured. The separation experiments were conducted by changing the pulsing time over a pulsing time range of 2–24 s and a flow rate range of 1.2–9.6 μ L min − 1 . The frequency and voltage were set to a constant value of 1 M Hz and 14 V pk-pk, respectively. After cell sorting, the particles pass the optical fibre, and the incident light is scattered (or absorbed), thus, reducing the intensity of the transmitted light. The change in light level is measured by a spectrophotometer and recorded as an absorbance spectrum. The results revealed that, generally, the flow rate and pulsing time influenced the separation of E. coli and S. cerevisiae. It was found that E. coli had the highest rate of release, followed by S. cerevisiae. In this investigation, the developed integrated chip-in-a lab has enabled two microorganisms of different cell dielectric properties and particle size to be separated and subsequently detected using unique optical properties. Optimum separation between these two microorganisms could be obtained using a longer pulsing time of 12 s and a faster flow rate of 9.6 μ L min − 1 at a constant frequency, voltage, and a low conductivity.

This paper describes the development of a lab-on-chip (LOC) device that can perform reliable online detection in continuous-flow systems for microorganisms. The objective of this work was to examine the performance of a fibre optic detection system integrated into a LOC device. The microfluidic system was fabricated using dry film resist (DFR), integrated with multimode fibre pigtails in the LOC. Subsequently, the performance of the fibre optic detection was evaluated by its absorbance spectra, detection limit, repeatability and reproducibility, and response time. The analysis was carried out using a constant flow rate for three different types of microorganisms which are Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Aeromonas hydrophila. Under the experimental conditions used in this study, the detection limit of 1.0×105 cells/mL for both A. hydrophila and E. coli, while a detection limit of 1.0×106 cells/mL for S. cerevisiae cells were measured. The results also revealed that the device showed good repeatability with standard deviations less than 0.2 for A. hydrophila and E. coli, while standard deviations for S. cerevisiae were larger than 1.0. The response times for A. hydrophila, E. coli, and S. cerevisiae were 104 s, 122 s, and 78 s, respectively, although significant errors were recorded for all three species for reproducibility experiment. It was found that the device showed generally good sensitivity, with the highest sensitivity towards S. cerevisiae. These findings suggest that an integrated LOC device, with embedded multimode fibre pigtails, can be a reliable instrument for microorganism detection.

β-glucuronidases enzyme is a valued product in the pharmaceutical industry. This work features the modeling and optimization of β-glucuronidases enzyme production from recombinant E. coli using SuperPro Designer v5, a commercial batch process simulator. The study focuses on designing an economically viable β-glucuronidases enzyme production process. In the base case process, an annual production of 956 batches (corresponding to 8,523 kg) of β-glucuronidases enzyme was made. Seven alternatives production schemes were further developed for increased production using batch debottlenecking strategy. The best alternative scheme was reported to achieve a product yield of 100% increment, with an annual production of 1912 batches of β-glucuronidases enzyme. Economic analysis determined that the proposed alternative scheme has an annual revenue of USD 44M, with a 15.24% gross margin and a 29.44% of return on investment. The payback period of this scheme was estimated to be less than four years.