Bioreactors And Fermentors— Powerful Tools For Resolving Cultivation Bottlenecks

By Ulrike Rasche

Shake flasks, cell culture dishes, and T-flasks are the first vessels that come to mind, when we think about cultivation systems for growing eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells in the lab. Bioreactors and fermentors are another alternative to consider if we need larger quantities of cells, increased efficiency of cultivation, or enhanced reproducibility. In this white paper we explain the key characteristics of stirred-tank bioreactors and which organisms are typically grown in them. Using specific examples, we demonstrate how bioreactors and fermentors can help to resolve cultivation bottlenecks.

Many applications are well served by the cultivation of bacteria or yeast in shake flasks and cells in dishes or T-flasks. Bioreactors and fermentors, however, improve productivity and save work, time, and lab space for scientists,who

• need large quantities of cells, microbes, or of the products they express
• would like to improve the reproducibility of growth, the product formation or the product quality
• would like to systematically compare different growth conditions
• would like to increase the cultivation efficiency.