Production of conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae ICB 425 in a tray bioreactor

Addition of spherical‐style packing improves the production of conidia by Metarhizium robertsii in packed column bioreactors

“…It should be noted that the packed density increased 1.5 times when the internal diameter of the PCB increased from 7 to 10.1 cm. Da Cunha et al 16 . reported a packed density of 0.641 g cm −3 in 6 cm‐high beds of rice grain packing in a 20 × 40 cm TB.…”

“…Besides that, the bioreactor characteristics make process monitoring and control difficult 15 . To avoid this, static bioreactors, such as tray (TB) and packed column bioreactors (PCB), have been evaluated for the production of conidia in various EF, including those of the genus Metarhizium 15‐17 . Both bioreactor types allow the scale‐up and monitoring of process variables (temperature, humidity, CO 2 production, O 2 uptake, etc.)…”

“…In addition, the forced aeration in a PCB allows up to 2.5 times more conidia production and productivity than in TB and PBB, without reducing the quality of the conidia produced 15,17,25 . Nevertheless, the scale‐up of PCB for conidia production is difficult since increasing in the bioreactor dimensions leads to heat accumulation, poor air distribution, low CO 2 removal, and oxygen supply limitation, 17,26‐28 affecting fungal growth and conidia production 15,16 . These problems are strongly related to the packing properties; 29 in fact, the increase of the bioreactor diameter leads to radial variations in the packing density 30 .…”

“…15 To avoid this, static bioreactors, such as tray (TB) and packed column bioreactors (PCB), have been evaluated for the production of conidia in various EF, including those of the genus Metarhizium. [15][16][17] Both bioreactor types allow the scale-up and monitoring of process variables (temperature, humidity, CO 2 production, O 2 uptake, etc.). 9,18,19 However, a TB has a limited bed height (between 4 and 6 cm), 16 where air transport by diffusion and natural convection decreases the efficiency of mass transfer and heat removal; 15 therefore, its need for large process areas is similar to that required by the PBB process.…”

“…[15][16][17] Both bioreactor types allow the scale-up and monitoring of process variables (temperature, humidity, CO 2 production, O 2 uptake, etc.). 9,18,19 However, a TB has a limited bed height (between 4 and 6 cm), 16 where air transport by diffusion and natural convection decreases the efficiency of mass transfer and heat removal; 15 therefore, its need for large process areas is similar to that required by the PBB process. In addition, the areas in which industrial processes are carried out with a TB require special equipment and sterility conditions, both of which increase process costs.…”