Enzyme-Mediated Exponential Glucose Release: A Model-Based Strategy for Continuous Defined Fed-Batch in Small-Scale Cultivations

Abstract

Miniaturized cultivation systems offer the potential to enhance experimental throughput in bioprocess development. However, they usually lack the miniaturized pumps necessary for fed-batch mode, which is commonly employed in industrial bioprocesses. An alternative are enzyme-mediated glucose release systems from starch-derived polymers, facilitating continuous glucose supply. Nevertheless, while the glucose release, and thus the feed rate, is controlled by the enzyme concentration, it also strongly depends on the type of starch derivative, and the culture conditions as well as pH and temperature. So far it was not possible to implement controlled feeding strategies (e.g., exponential feeding). In this context, we propose a model-based approach to achieve precise control over enzyme-mediated glucose release in cultivations. To this aim, an existing mathematical model was integrated into a computational framework to calculate setpoints for enzyme additions. We demonstrate the ability of the tool to maintain different pre-defined exponential growth rates during Escherichia coli cultivations in parallel mini-bioreactors integrated into a robotic facility. Although in this case study, the intermittent additions of enzyme and dextrin were performed by a liquid handler, the approach is adaptable to manual applications. Thus, we present a straightforward and robust approach for implementing defined continuous fed-batch processes in small-scale systems, where continuous feeding was only possible with low accuracy or high technical efforts until now.