In the biopharmaceutical industry, accurate prediction of the oxygen
uptake rate (OUR) by the cells is critical to understanding cell health.
Accurate estimation of the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) presents a
significant challenge in predicting OUR, and OTR is dependent on the
volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient (ka). Often
ka is assumed to be constant throughout a fermentation
and estimated from experiments using no cells and in a buffer solutions.
Yet, it is well-known that additions (i.e., glucose, base, and
antifoam), cell secretions, and stir speed markedly effect
ka. Currently, there are three standard methods used to
estimate ka; however, all three have significant
issues. This rapid communication describes a novel, non-disruptive
method to estimate ka by modulating the gas flow rate.
This approach allowed accurate ka estimates at multiple
times throughout Escherichia coli batch fermentations using a
non-disruptive technique, thus lowering the risk of losing a
fermentation due to inadequate oxygenation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.