This document provides an overview of industrial biotechnology and fermentation technology. It defines industrial biotechnology as using living cells or their components like enzymes to generate industrial products. The basic principles of fermentation technology include selecting microorganisms, preparing growth media, developing inoculum, controlling fermentation conditions in bioreactors, and recovering products. The document outlines factors for each step like selecting microbes that metabolize substrates and give desired products, using defined or complex media, and extracting cell-bound or free products. It also discusses properly disposing of waste from fermentation processes.

1. Debre Berhan
University
Department of Biotechnology
Industrial Biotechnology
Tsegaye Mekuria (M.Sc)

2. Unit One
Introduction to industrial Biotechnology
1.1. Definition of Industrial Biotechnology
What is Biotechnology first?
Biotechnology refers to any technology, process or
practice that modifies or harnesses any living
organism or system to be useful to human purpose.
Industrial biotechnology is a set of practices that
use living cells (such as bacteria, yeast and algae)
or components of cells like enzymes, to generate
industrial products or processes.
 Fermentation technology is the use of organisms to
produce food, pharmaceuticals and alcoholic beverages on a
large scale industrial basis.

3. 1.2. Basic principles of Fermentation Technology
1. Selection, growth, maintenance and further
manipulation of microorganisms used for the
industrial production purpose:
2. Media preparation (formulation) for industrial
fermentation
3. Inoculum development
4. Bioreactor/fermentation vessel design
5. Control of the fermentation conditions:
Temperature, pH, aeration, agitation
6. Product recovery: biomass/ metabolite recovery
7. Disposal of effluent/waste produced from the
process

4. 1.2. Basic principles of Fermentation Technology
1. Selection, growth, maintenance and further manipulation of
microorganisms used for the industrial production purpose:
A. Selection: selecting the right microorganism that metabolizes a
certain substrate and gives the desired product.
From where? Either environmental samples or from microbial culture
collection centers.
B. Growing the selected Microorganism: culturing of the MO in
synthetic culture medium
C. Maintenance of the MO: keeping the identified microorganism for
continuous use in the industry; culture preservation.
D. Further manipulation/ Strain improvement: Genetic modification
on the microorganism to enhance certain property of the microbe;
may be rate of metabolism, avoidance of undesired biproduct or to
give it a an ability to metabolize a new substrate.

5. 1.2. Basic principles of Fermentation Technology
2. Media preparation (formulation) for industrial
fermentation
All micro-organisms require water, sources of energy,
carbon, nitrogen, mineral elements, vitamins and oxygen
for their growth.
On a small scale - device a medium containing pure
compounds satisfy the growth but may be unsuitable for
use in a large scale process or it will be unaffordable
economically.
Therefore, for industrial scale fermentation, a medium of
bulk quantity containing all the necessary nutritional
requirements of the microbe is mandatory.

6. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
Types of media
Synthetic media
Semi-synthetic media
Complex media
• Undefined complex natural materials have been
used in fermentation process because they are
much cheaper in cost.

7. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
A. Synthetic media
Synthetic media are media composed of pure ingredients
in carefully measured concentrations dissolved in
double distilled water, thus the exact chemical
composition of the medium is known. Typically, it
contains a simple sugar as the carbon and energy
source, an inorganic nitrogen source and various
mineral salts and, if necessary, growth factors
(purified amino acids, vitamins, purines and
pyrimidines).
• Useful in research and laboratory situations where
experiment requires high accuracy.

8. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
B. Semi synthetic media
Largely chemically defined but one or more poorly
specified components of variable but a controlled
composition. eg.Yeast extract, beef extract.
This type of media are useful in research and
laboratory situations –particular organism growth.
Plant, animal, fish and microbial extracts have been
routinely used in the past to supply vitamins and
essential growth factors for specific organisms.

9. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
C. complex media/Crude media:
• Largely composed of substances that are
usually of plant or animal origin, and that have
defined and variable composition.
• These materials vary from batch to batch, and
composition is influenced by time of year,
location of origin, and small changes in
production methods.
• Seasonal availability may change appreciably.

10. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
 Nutrients that complex media should contain
Carbon sources: for growth and energy
Nitrogen sources: protein synthesis
Minerals: for Enzyme functions
Growth regulators: preformed cellular components
(vitamins, aa, fatty acids, sterols) for growth
Water: water is the major component of industrial
fermentation media and it is necessary for many of its
ancillary services such as heating, cooling and rinsing.
Therefore clean water of consistent composition is
required from permanent sources.

11. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
Carbon sources:
Molasses
Carbohydrates
Oils and fats
 Hydrocarbons and their derivatives
cellulose

12. 2. Media preparation (formulation)
for industrial fermentation
Criteria for media selection
Produce maximum yield of product
Produce the maximum concentration of biomass
Will permit maximum rate of product formation
Will be of consistent quality
Will be available throughout the year.
 Cause minimal problems during medium sterilization.
Aspects of production process such as aeration,
agitation, downstream processing, waste treatment.
Minimum yield of undesirable product

13. 3. Inoculum Development
• The inoculum is some amount of fermented medium
containing microorganisms in their active growth state.
• It serves as starter culture (Ersho) for the large scale
fermentation process.
• The inoculum should satisfy the following criteria
1. It must be in active and healthy state, helps to minimize
the lag phase for the large scale fermentation.
2. It must be sufficiently large volume to provide optimum
number of Mos for the large fermenter
3. The microbes must be in the suitable morphological form
4. Must be free of contamination
5. Must retain its product forming capabilities

14. 4. Bioreactor/fermentation vessel design
A fermentation process requires a fermenter for
successful production of the desired product.
Fermenters used in biotechnological productions
are known as Bioreactors.
Bioreactor is the large vessel containing large
quantity of nutrient media maintaining favorable
conditions for the producer microorganisms.
For a specific fermentation process, the bioreactor
type must be chosen in terms of construction
material or design.

15. 4. Bioreactor/fermentation vessel design
Functions of Bioreactor
• Contamination free environment,
• Maintenance of specific To,
• Maintenance of agitation, aeration,
and pH control,
• Monitoring Dissolved Oxygen
(DO),
• Ports for nutrient and reagent
feeding (antifoam agents, alkali or
acid),
• Ports for inoculation and sampling,

16. 5. Control of the fermentation conditions
The growth of microorganisms in a bioreactor
has to be controlled, so the operators must
have sufficient information about the state of
the organism and the bioreactor conditions.
Some of the parameters to be controlled
Temperature, PH level, volume, agitation speed,
viability of cells, cells concentration, viscosity,
pressure, etc…

17. 6. Product recovery: biomass/
metabolite recovery
Refers to the process conducted after the
fermentation process is completed.
Many fermentation processes require a
purification scheme that help to reduce the
fermentation broth to its pure final product.
The extraction and purification of fermentation
products may be difficult and costly.
Recovery costs of microbial products varies
from 15% to 70% of the total production cost.

18. 6. Product recovery: biomass/ metabolite recovery
Factors for deciding the extraction method
The value of the final product.
The degree of purity required.
The chemical and physical properties of the product.
The location of the product in the mixture i.e. whether
it is free within the medium or is cell bound.
The location and properties of the impurities.
The cost-effectiveness of the available alternate
purification procedures.

19. 7. Disposal of effluent/waste produced
from the fermentation process
Every fermentation process generates a residual waste
material that leaves behind the desired pure product.
Depending on the individual fermentation process,
varying types and amounts of waste materials are
produced.
Typical wastes might include: unconsumed medium
components, microbial cells and other suspended solids
and waste wash water from cleansing operations.
There should be a means or a system to manage this
unwanted waste products.
The system of managing such wastes is known as;
industrial waste treatment/ effluent treatment system.

20. 7. Disposal of effluent/waste produced
from the fermentation process
Historically, it was possible to directly dispose
wastes into nearby open land or water bodies.
This cheap and simple method of waste
disposal is very rarely possible and
environmentally undesirable.
With increasing population density and
industrial expansion together with the greater
awareness of the damages caused by pollution,
the need for treatment and controlled disposal
of waste has grown and will continue to grow.

21. 7. Disposal of effluent/waste produced
from the fermentation process
 So these days, fermentation industries are legally
obliged to have modern ways of waste disposal system.
o Sold waste: mostly beneficial, animal feed
o Liquid waste/effluent: disposed off after treatment.
 Who is responsible to control the proper way of
industrial waste disposal?
 It varies from country to country.
In Ethiopia, Ethiopian Environmental Protection
Authority and Ethiopian water authority are the
concerned governmental agencies for the enforcement
of proclamations pertaining to industrial and domestic
waste management.

22. Thank you for
Learning
White
Biotechnology