Biochemical Engineering

Marta Henriques
ESAC-IPC

Biochemical engineering is a branch of chemical engineering that

mainly deals with the design and construction of unit processes
that involve biological organisms of molecules.
Applications of biochemical engineering are used in the food, feed,
pharmaceutical, biotechnology and water treatment industries.
Will include a study of bioreactors including bioreactor design.

Cells & nutrients

Marta Henriques
ESAC-IPC

Biochemical Engineering
13-14

Cells composition
Water (80%)
Dry weight (10-20%)
Protein (50%) ex. enzymes
Lipids (5-15%) ex. some cells accumulate PHB up to
90%

Others (35-45%)

ex. carbohydrates, minerals

Intracellular composition depends on the type and age of the cells

and the composition of the nutrients media.

 The qualitative and quantitative

nutritional requirements of cells need
to be determined to optimize growth
and products formation

Cell Nutrients
Nutrients required by cells can be classified in two
categories:
-

are needed in concentrations larger

than 10-4 M.
C, N, O, H, S, P, Mg 2+, and K+.

are needed in concentrations less

than 10-4 M.
Mo, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ca, Na, vitamins,
growth hormones and metabolic precursors.

Cell Nutrients- Macronutrients

compounds are the major sources of cellular
carbon and energy.
Heterotrophs use organic carbon sources such as
carbohydrates, lipid, hydrocarbon as a carbon source.
Autotrophs can use CO2 as a carbon source. They can
form carbohydrate through light or chemical oxidation.
In aerobic fermentations, about 50% of substrate
carbon is incorporated into cell mass and about 50% of
it is used as energy sources.
In anaerobic fermentation, a large fraction of substrate
carbon is converted to products and a smaller fraction is
converted to cell mass (less than 30%).

Cell Nutrients- Macronutrients

Carbon sources:
- In industrial fermentation, the most common
carbon sources are molasses (sucrose), starch
(glucose, dextrin), corn syrup, and waste
sulfite liquor (glucose).
- In laboratory fermentations, glucose, sucrose
and fructose are the most common carbon
sources. Ethanol, methanol and methane also
constitute cheap carbon sources.

Cell Nutrients- Macronutrients

compounds are important sources for
synthesizing protein, nucleic acid.
Nitrogen constitutes 10% to 14% of cell dry weight.
Is incorporated into cell in the form of proteins and
nucleic acids.
The most commonly used nitrogen sources are
ammonia or ammonium salts such as ammonium
chloride, sulfate and nitrate, protein, peptides, and
amino acids. Urea can be cheap source.
Some m.o. such as Azotobacter sp. and cyanobacteria
fix nitrogen from atmosphere to form ammonium.

Cell Nutrients- Macronutrients

constitutes about 20% of the cell dry weight.

- Molecular oxygen is required as terminal electron
acceptor in the aerobic metabolism of carbon
compounds.
- Gaseous oxygen is introduced into growth media
by sparging air or by surface aeration.
- Improving the mass transfer of oxygen in a
bioreactor is a challenge in reactor control.

Cell Nutrients- Macronutrients

: 8% of dry cell weight
major source: carbohydrates.
- methanogen bacteria can utilize hydrogen as an
energy source
: 3% of cell dry weight
- present in nucleic acids and in the cell wall of some
gram-positive bacteria.
- a key element in the regulation of cell metabolism.
- sources: Inorganic phosphates.
The phosphate level should be less than 1 mM for
the formation of many secondary metabolites such as
antibiotics.

Cell Nutrients- Macronutrients

: 1% of cell dry weight

- present in protein and some coenzymes.
- source: ammonium sulfate, Sulfur containing aminoacids,
cysteine
- some autotrophs can use S0 and S2+ as energy sources.

: a cofactor for some enzyme and is required in

carbohydrate metabolism.
cofactor: any of various organic or inorganic substances necessary
to the function of an enzyme.
- source: potassium phosphates.

: a cofactor for some enzyme and is present in cell

walls and membranes. Ribosomes specifically requires Mg2+ .
- sources: Magnesium sulfate or chloride

Cell Nutrients- Micronutrients

Micronutrients could be classified into the following

categories (required less than 10-4 M):

Cell Nutrients- Micronutrients

1. most widely needed elements are Fe, Zn and Mn.
Such elements are cofactors for some enzyme and
regulate the metabolism.
2. trace elements needed under specific growth
conditions are Cu, Co, Mo, Ca, Na, Cl, Ni, and Se.
For example, copper is present in certain
respiratory-chain components and enzymes.

Cell Nutrients- Micronutrients

3 Trace elements rarely required are B, Al, Si, Cr, V,

Sn, Be, F, Ti, Ga, Ge, Br, Zr, W, Li and I. These
elements are required in concentrations of less
than 10-6M and are toxic at high concentration.
4 Growth factor is also a micronutrient. Stimulates
the growth and synthesis of some metabolites.
e.g. vitamin, hormones and amino acids. They are
required less than 10-6M.

Growth Media
There are two types of growth medium:
defined medium and complex medium.
contains specific amounts of pure
chemical compounds with known chemical
compositions.
Glucose (30g/L), (NH4)2HPO4 (6g/L), NH4Cl
(1.32 g/L), MgS04.7H2O (0.6 g/L), CaCl2 (0.05
g/L), KH2PO4 (10.0 g/L).

Defined Media
- Results are more reproducible and the
operator has better control of the
fermentation.
- Recovery and purification processes are
easier.

Growth Media
contains natural compounds
whose chemical composition is not exactly
known.
- yeast extract, peptone, molasses or corn
steep.
- high yields: providing necessary growth
factor.
- cheaper than defined medium
- more complex separation
Glucose (30g/L), yeast extract, NH4Cl (1.32 g/L), MgS04.7H2O (0.11 g/L),
CaCl2.2H2O (0.08 g/L), K2HPO4 (2.0 g/L)
for ethanol production by S. cerevisiae.

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Summary of Cell Nutrients

Nutrients required by cell living can be categorized into

macronutrient that are required higher than 10-4M,
micronutrients that less than 10-4M.
Macronutrients include N, C, O, H, S, P, K and Mg. They are
major components in cell dry weight.
Micronutrients are classified into most widely needed
elements, needed under specific conditions and rarely
needed ones.
Growth medium can be either defined or complex.

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Stoichiometry of microbial growth

and product formation
Microbial growth

Product formation

+ fCmHpOqNr

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