Teaching bioprocess engineering to undergraduates: Multidisciplinary hands‐on training in a one‐week practical course

Abstract

Bioprocess engineering is a highly interdisciplinary field of study which is strongly benefited by practical courses where students can actively experience the interconnection between biology, engineering, and physical sciences. This work describes a lab course developed for 2nd year undergraduate students of bioprocess engineering and related disciplines, where students are challenged with a real-life bioprocess-engineering application, the production of recombinant protein in a fed-batch process. The lab course was designed to introduce students to the subject of operating and supervising an experiment in a bioreactor, along with the analysis of collected data and a final critical evaluation of the experiment. To provide visual feedback of the experimental outcome, the organism used during class was Escherichia coli which carried a plasmid to recombinantly produce enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) upon induction. This can easily be visualized in both the bioreactor and samples by using ultraviolet light. The lab course is performed with bioreactors of the simplest design, and is therefore highly flexible, robust and easy to reproduce. As part of this work the implementation and framework, the results, the evaluation and assessment of student learning combined with opinion surveys are presented, which provides a basis for instructors intending to implement a similar lab course at their respective institution.

Evaluation of small organic acids present in fast pyrolysis bio‐oil from lignocellulose as feedstocks for bacterial bioconversion

“…Escherichia coli was cultivated in a minimal medium (Henkel et al, ) consisting of the following components: 5 g/L NH 4 Cl, 14.6 g/L K 2 HPO 4 , 3.6 g/L Na 2 HPO 4 · 2H 2 O, 5.6 g/L Na 2 SO 4 , 0.54 g/L MgCl 2 · 6H 2 O complexed with 1 g/L sodium citrate · 2H 2 O, 0.26 g/L CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O, 0.01 g/L thiamin, 3 ml/L trace element solution (trace element solution: 25.8 g/L sodium citrate · 2H 2 O, 0.18 g/L ZnSO 4 · 7H 2 O, 0.1 g/L MnSO 4 · H 2 O, 8.35 g/L FeCl 3 · 6H 2 O, 0.16 g/L CuSO 4 · 5H 2 O, 0.18 g/L CoCl 2 · 6H 2 O, 0.01 g/L NiCl 2 · 6H 2 O, 0.016 g/L NaMoO 4 · 2H 2 O, 0.001 g/L Na 2 SeO 3 · 5H 2 O). The pH value was adjusted to 7.0.…”

A Lab-Scale Fermentation Course with an Emphasis on Recombinant Protein Production

“…The closest course to the one presented here is a one-week practicum that uses E. coli to produce green fluorescent protein, which offers a nice introduction to bioreactors and their operation. [10] In contrast, this paper presents a course that comprehensively covers the principles and application of fermentation to biomanufacturing and other industries.…”