Production of High Cell Density of Yeast Using Stirred Ceramic Membrane Reactor

Abstract

The SCMR system fitted with two sets (6 tubes) of ceramic filter having pore size of 5 pm was used for yeast (Saccharornyces cerevisiae) cell culture. The function of ceramic filters between filtration and aeration of each set was alternatively switched every 15 min. The feed medium was fed and culture medium was withdrawn through membrane continuously. At dilution rate of 0.2 and 0.25 h-', the permeation flux reduced considerably at the early period of cultivation.Therefore, the lower dilution rates have to be adjusted to maintain the culture volume in fermentor. The higher productivity and yield were obtained when the glucose concentration of feed medium fed into the fermentor were increased step by step. Cell concentration at 136 g/L and productivity at 2.48 g/L-h were obtained when cultured the cell at dilution rate of 0.1 h-' for 55 h with increasing the glucose concentration from 40 g/L at 12 h to 70 and 100 g/L at 23 h and 38 h, respectively.

Keywords : Fermentation / Stirred Ceramic Membrane Reactor / Saccharomyces cereviseae