Cell Culture Media Analysis You Can Trust– Even If There's Antifoam

Surfactants, antifoams, salts solutions, detergents, and buffers are commonly used in bioprocesses and fermentations to address a variety of needs. For instance, antifoams are widely used in bioreactors and shake flasks to counteract the unwanted foaming that may happen when gassing is performed to maintain a desired dissolved oxygen level. If foams are left to develop, they can cause sterilization concerns if the foam escapes the reactor vessel. Antifoam supplementation can eliminate this issue, but researchers must select an  appropriate type so as not to impact cell growth or process yield negatively. Additionally, the use of antifoams and other additives may interfere with the chemical analysis of samples taken during the process. Additional sample cleanup and preparation may be required before analysis to ensure that some sensors and instrumentation will not foul or that the results are not biased with chemical interferences.

Media additives may interfere with the chemical analysis of samples taken during a bioprocess. At-line mass spec devices can help sidestep the complexity.