Biochemical ENGINEERING processes

1. Biochemical ENGINEERING processes

2. Biochemical engineering • Biochemical Engineering: extension of chemical engineering principles to systems using a biocatalyst to bring about desired chemical transformation. • Mainly deals with the design and construction of unit processes that involve biological organisms or molecules. • Its applications are used in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and water treatment industries

3. Biological reactor • Utilizes biological cells to perform catalytic reactions on a substrate, called the media, to produce one or more useful chemical species, called the product. The reactor is often called a continuous-stirred tank reactor (CSTR), a fermentor, a chemostat, or a turbostat.

4. Biological reactor Additionally, a reactor may utilize only the proteins that specifically catalyze desired reactions, called enzymes. Instead of growing biological cells and using them as 'mini-reactors' to produce the desired product, one can extract the necessary enzymes from the cell and use them to catalytically synthesize the product.

5. Bioprocesses are “special”……. • Cells are living organisms that require specific conditions for growth, production • Cells grow in culture medium (nutrients) • Bioproducts are often sensitive to external conditions (T, pH).

6. Industry Focus: Food and beverage

7. Biocatalyst or enzyme Enzyme, any one of many specialized organic substances, composed of polymers of amino acids, that act as catalysts to regulate the speed of the many chemical reactions. e.g; the metabolism of living organisms, such as digestion.

8. Enzymes are large proteins that speed up chemical reactions.In their globular structure, one or more polypeptide chains twist and fold, bringing together a small number of amino acids to form the active site, or the location on the enzyme where the substrate binds and the reaction takes place. • The enzyme itself is unaffected by the reaction. • When the products have been released, the enzyme is ready to bind with a new substrate.

9. Metabolism • Metabolism (chemistry), inclusive term for the chemical reactions by which the cells of an organism transform energy, • maintain their identity, and reproduce.

10. ANABOLISM AND CATABOLISM • Anabolism, or constructive metabolism, is the process of synthesis required for the growth of new cells and the maintenance of all tissues. • Catabolism, or destructive metabolism, is a continuous process concerned with the production of the energy required for all external and internal physical activity.

11. Micro-organisms • A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). • Micro biology is the study of these micro-organisms.

12. ProkaryotES Prokaryotes are unicellular (in rare cases, multicellular) organisms without a nucleus. The name prokaryote comes from the Greek pros meaning before and karyon meaning referring to the nucleus. The difference between the structure of prokaryotes and eukaryotes is so great that it is considered to be the most important distinction among groups of organisms. Most prokaryotes are bacteria

13. Prokaryotic cells • Prokaryotic cells are small & simple cells. • They usually exist alone. • There shape may be spherical, rod like or spiral. Their size may be 0.5 to 3 mm. • They grow rapidly. • They adopt to environment and their rapid growth and biochemical versatility makes it good choice for research and chemical processing.

14. Eukaryote Eukaryotes are organisms with complex cells, in which the genetic material is organized into membrane-bound nuclei. The name comes from the Greek eus or true and karyon referring to the nucleus. • These are 1000 to 10000 times larger than prokaryotics. • All cells of higher organisms belong to this family • Mostly these are plant and animal cells • These are more complex

15. Fermentation • Fermentation is a process of chemical change caused by organisms usually producing energy or heat. • Fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to alcohol using yeast, but other fermentation processes include the making of yogurt. The science of fermentation is known as zymology. • 'an energy-generating process’

16. Fermentation, a process in which microorganisms convert complex organic molecules into simpler molecules, is used in the production of cheese.

17. Types of fermentation Anaerobic fermentation Some micro organism do not require oxygen and this type of fermentation is called anaerobic fermentation. Aerobic fermentation Aerobic fermentation require the use of substantial amounts of oxygen

18. yeast Yeasts have been used since prehistoric times in the making of breads and wines, but their cultivation and use in large quantities was put on a scientific basis by the work of the French microbiologist Louis Pasteur in the 19th century. Today they are used industrially in a wide range of fermentation processes; medicinally, as a source of B-complex vitamins and as a stage in the production of various antibiotics and steroid hormones; and as feed and foodstuffs. Pure yeast cultures are grown in a medium of sugars, nitrogen sources, minerals, and water.

19. Cultureis the term given to microorganisms that are cultivated in the lab for the purpose of studying them. Medium is the term given to the combination of ingredients that will support the growth and cultivation of microorganisms by providing all the essential nutrients required for the growth in order to cultivate these microorganisms in large numbers to study them. Among the different kinds of microorganisms the two groups that can be grown in cultures are bacteria and fungi. Algae and protozoa require many different nutrients in minute quantities that are difficult to anticipate and prepare in the lab. Primary ingredients required by all living organisms include: a carbon source, water, minerals, and a nitrogen source.

20. The ingredients in a medium will affect the chemical nature of the medium. This is important because organisms vary in their requirement for different environments. One such property is: pH (which is a measure of the amount of hydrogen ions in a particular medium). This has to be monitored during the preparation of media since this will influence the kind of organisms that are able to grow in the medium.

21. The pH of the medium will thus determine which organisms are able to grow on the medium. For example • fungi prefer acidic media for their growth while bacteria • grow on neutral pH media.

22. The primary function of culture media is to be able to grow particular organisms on/in them. It is important that these media are devoid of any other living organisms. This is possible through the process of sterilization (a process by which all living organisms and their spore forms are killed and the medium is made sterile) Culture media are most commonly sterilized through the process of autoclaving(using high temperatures that will kill all living organisms under increased pressure for specified periods of time – in an appliance called the autoclave)