U.S. Partner of IONICON Analytik

On-line Monitoring in the Biopharmaceutical Industry

Modern biopharmaceutical drugs are produced in biotechnological fermentation processes. The monitoring of these processes is becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the manufacturing sector to promote cost-effective production. To date, biotechnical processes are generally monitored using off-line analysis, which is labor and cost intensive, providing results often too late for corrective actions. IONICON PTR-MS can provide highly relevant process information on-line and in real-time.

 In a bioreactor, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as metabolic by-products of microbial growth and production. Real-time monitoring of these emitted volatile metabolites in the off-gas of a bioreactor with PTR-MS allows gauging the activity of the micro-organisms for quality assurance and process control. In E.Coli fermentations we observe up to 70 VOCs with notable concentrations and distinct variations over time - prominent examples are shown in the figure.

Related Publications

 IONICON PTR-MS systems can analyze trace gas concentrations of volatile metabolites in the off-gas of bio-pharmaceutical fermentations in real-time. This highly relevant process related information can be used for on-line process monitoring and process control.

Biotechnology

On-line Monitoring of Bioprocesses