Fermentation Facility

With our expertise and a variety of small-scale fermentation systems,  we provide R&D service to optimize customers’ fermentation processes. Our customers usually have proprietary microorganism strains with basic culture conditions (usually at flask culture or very preliminary fermenter culture environment), however, they are lacking a comprehensive study to optimize culture condition to either maximize biomass density or product titer, reduce the production cost (medium receipt input), or intensify the process (enhancing  mixing and/or oxygen transfer).  At CCUR, we have a variety of small scale (2-L, 5-L, 10-L, 15-L and 30-L, working volume) fermentation systems to help customers to optimize the above processes.  We also have small-scale semi-continuous centrifuge (CEPA), homogenizer, membrane filtration (only 1-L holding volume), and mini-spray drying, to develop DSP processes at such a small scale but are representative to large scale operation so the development cost can be reduced.          

Some customers have had proprietary microorganism strains and optimized culture protocols at small scale, however, they need to scale up the process to validate their results.  Sometimes, customers need to prepare a reasonable amount of representative finished products (at a few to several teens of kg scale) for their further testing. At CCUR, our very experienced research staff operate pilot scale (500-L, 1,000-L, 1,200-L, working volume) fermentation systems, and various downstream process (DSP) equipment to help customers to achieve the above goal.  The information obtained from the pilot-scale study can be applied to customers’ commercialization endeavors in either their own production facility or toll contractor manufacturing facility.  

Autotrophically-based gas fermentation (with CO₂ or CO being used as carbon sources) is gaining renewed interests.  At CCUR, we have expertise and infrastructure to develop and optimize the gas fermentation process (up to 30-L, working volume).  Our explosion proof gas storage, transfering, and mixing system can deliver mixed gasses into fermenter vessels in a very safe way.  The off gas compositions are fully analyzed through a Mass-Spectrum based analyzer.

Occasionally, customers develop their pilot-scale fermentation in another facility but use our facility for the DSP development.  We are helping customers to achieve this goal.  The most demanded operations are spray drying using our two pilot scale units and freeze drying using our large 8-tray unit.