Streamlining the Fermentation Process Using Mixed Cultures

Abstract

Fermentation technology is still being developed in all aspects, with the aim of improving the yields and qualities of products and reducing the costs of production. Increasing the yields of fermentation products can be accomplished by optimizing the factors that influence the process, including both the microbe itself and the environment. For example, the acetic acid production process from raw materials can be performed simultaneously with submerged batch fermentation using mixed cultures of anaerobic and facultative anaerobic S. cerevisiae and obligate aerobic A. aceti. This system is very simple because it only has one stage. In this system, efforts can be made to enhance the yields of acetic acid production, including evaluating the availability of nutrients in the medium and determining the optimum proportion of microbial abundance and agitation speed. Under optimal conditions, the resulting increases in acetic acid yields occur with high conversion efficiency. These results can then be applied on an industrial scale by integrating these findings with advanced technologies in the operating system.