Abstract

Steady-state biofilm cultivation of Aspergillus niger D15 in a ceramic capillary membrane bioreactor

Author(s): Christian Endres, Sheena Janet Fraser, Wade Edwards, Sascha Beutel and Thomas Scheper*

Aim: Bioreactors are an essential component in every biotechnological process. Due to the multitude of different microbial and mammalian organisms used for production of complex products, novel concepts for customized cultivations are necessary.

Results: A ceramic capillary-based bioreactor enabling a novel approach for steadystate biofilm cultivation is presented. A model for the determination of the efficiency of this system was developed by comparing its productivity to conventional stirred tank reactors using the production of recombinant xylanase by Aspergillus niger D15 (xyn2) as a model process.

Conclusion: The presented bioreactor provides an ideal platform for the cultivation of shear-sensitive, filamentous growing microorganisms producing valuable secreted secondary metabolites or recombinant products.