Critical factors and insights in scaling up fermentation processes from lab to industrial scales, and scale down considerations

Any biotech researcher that is interested in commercializing lab-scale processes encounters the need to scale up to pilot and industrial scales.

Scaling up is often challenging since there are different ways in which process parameters are affected due to the increase in volume.

Naturally, fermentation technologists try to increase the volume without decreasing the yield.

Identifying the factors which give rise to yield decrease is critical for succeeding in developing the process towards industrial scales.

The major factors involved in scale up are:

• Inoculum development
• Sterilization
• Environmental parameters:

Bulk mixing influences nutrient availability, pH and temperature while agitation and aeration rates effect oxygen transfer rates and dissolved oxygen concentrations, shear conditions, CO₂ concentrations and removal rate, and foam production.

In scaling down the goal is to create small-scale or lab-scale systems that mimic the performance of the large-scale production plants.

The aspects of scale down that should be addressed are:

• Medium design
• Medium preparation and sterilization
• Inoculation procedures
• Number of generations.