Bioreactor Root Culture Inoculation and Harvesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bioreactor systems for hairy root cultures face challenges in scalability due to the morphological features of hairy roots, which lead to clumping and entanglement, making inoculation and harvesting processes difficult and requiring aseptic environments, limiting their scalability to industrial scales.
Innovation Solution
The development of bioreactors with features such as a fast rotatable knife or rotor stator, gas sparger, and attachment matrices that allow for inoculation, cultivation, and aseptic harvesting of root organ cultures without the need for an aseptic environment, enabling processes like cutting, washing, and transferring within the bioreactor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual dissection and transfer of root clumps is used, then inoculation can be performed, but the process requires aseptic environment and is not scalable to industrial production volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the root clumps from the aseptic environment requirement by performing inoculation through sealed ports using sterile tools that can be sterilized in place, eliminating the need for continuous aseptic conditions during the inoculation process
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual mechanical dissection with automated homogenization devices (blenders, homogenizers) that can process root material through sealed systems, substituting manual aseptic techniques with mechanical automation that maintains sterility through design rather than environmental control
2Productivity
If sterilized blender and filtration are used for inoculum preparation, then root clumps can be processed, but all steps must be performed in aseptic environment which limits scalability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple separate aseptic steps (blending, filtration, transfer) into a single integrated sealed system where homogenization and transfer occur through connected sterile components, reducing the number of aseptic interventions required
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary sterilization of all processing tools and equipment before use, and maintains sterility through sealed systems during processing, eliminating the need for continuous aseptic environment monitoring and intervention
3Productivity
If root clumps are transferred via tubes and pipes, then biomass can be moved between vessels, but higher biomass concentration impacts design aspects of inoculation tubes and ports
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses dynamic homogenization during transfer to keep root material in a processed state that flows more easily through pipes and ports, adapting the physical state of the biomass to match the transfer system capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the root material through homogenization (reducing clump size, increasing surface area) to enable efficient transfer through standard pipe and port dimensions without compromising biomass concentration
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and scalable inoculation and harvesting of root organ cultures, reducing the need for aseptic conditions and improving biomass distribution, thereby enhancing the productivity and viability of hairy root cultures.
Implementation Method 1
gas sparger
Implementation Method 2
fast rotatable knife or a rotor stator
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to bioreactors for root organ cultures that enable large parts of the inoculation or biomass transfer, cultivation and harvest of the cultures to be performed outside of an aseptic environment. The present invention further relates to methods of producing and aseptically harvesting roots, and methods of producing root cultures using the aforementioned bioreactors alone or as part of an apparatus further comprising an inoculation vessel or at least one further bioreactor.