Application
Precision Fermentation
Precision fermentation is a food production method that uses microorganisms to create animal-free products. Harnessing microbes enables the production of egg and dairy alternatives without using animals.
This process supports food security, improves sustainability, and reduces pressure on natural resources.
Beyond food security, precision fermentation contributes to environmental sustainability by advancing sustainable agriculture practices. It can potentially reshape the food industry, offering environmentally friendly and scalable alternatives.
This is particularly valuable in areas such as the production of egg and dairy alternatives, where precision fermentation can reduce environmental impacts and meet the growing global demand for sustainable food options.
How Hamilton Supports Your Precision Fermentation Workflows
Our automated liquid handling systems integrate with the minibioREACTOR 48 for streamlined milliliter-scale processing and optimized growth conditions for engineered strains.
Our sensors continuously monitor Critical Process Parameters (CPPs), pH, dissolved oxygen, dissolved CO2, and the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) cell density in real time, providing the data necessary for data-driven adjustments to aeration, nutrient supply, and fermentation time. This ensures optimal conditions for microbial growth and product formation, maximizing yield and efficiency.
Hamilton sensors optimize cell harvesting for timely collection and preserved product quality by monitoring cell health and metabolic profile.
Our sensors ensure food-grade purification by monitoring downstream parameters like filtration efficiency, pH stability, and contaminant levels.
The precision fermentation process is broadly divided into Upstream Processing (USP) and Downstream Processing (DSP). USP focuses on preparing the microorganisms and creating the ideal conditions for production, starting with strain development and progressing through feedstock preparation, controlled fermentation in a bioreactor, and harvesting. DSP then takes over to isolate and purify the desired precision ingredient using various extraction and separation techniques. Finally, the precision ingredient is incorporated into a food formulation to create the end consumer product. This process provides a controlled and efficient alternative to traditional agriculture, represented by the animals in the diagram, for producing specific biomolecules.
Explore our Precision Fermentation Solutions and Applications in Detail
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Dencytee Arc RS485 sensors enable real-time, in-situ measurement of total cell density using transmittance and reflectance of near-infrared light in low and high cell density applications. Reduce off-line sampling and increase the reliable optical density measurement range.
Incyte Arc Expert sensors enable real-time, in-situ measurement of viable cells, making it possible to detect events and respond in real time without increased off-line sampling.
VisiFerm Dissolved Oxygen Sensors
VisiFerm RS485-ECS
VisiFerm RS485-ECS is an advanced optical dissolved oxygen sensor for biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries, offering full measurement functionality, self-diagnostics, and simplified maintenance.
VisiFerm Dissolved Oxygen Sensors
VisiFerm mA
Less frequent calibration and longer lifetime. 2-wire 4-20mA / HART for GMP production environments. Explosive-rated environments.
EasyFerm Bio pH Sensors
EasyFerm Bio
The EasyFerm Bio is a pH sensor, featuring Hamilton pre-pressurized reference technology. Ideal for food and beverage and as well as Biopharma applications.
Lab Syringes
Gastight Syringes
The solution for dispensing both gases and heterogeneous liquids. Hamilton Gastight syringes are equipped with a precision-machined PTFE plunger tip to create a leak-free seal.
Lab Syringes
Microliter Syringes
Hamilton Microliter syringes are ideal for dispensing homogeneous liquid samples not prone to glass bonding or precipitation. With a hand-fitted stainless steel plunger for frictionless movement and minimal wear, these syringes are designed to last.
Solutions for the Top 3 Challenges for Precision Fermentation workflows
Optimizing Microbial Growth and Product Yield
Optimizing microbial growth and increasing product yield is essential for cost-effective, sustainable food production.
Solution: Hamilton’s advanced cell density sensors provide real-time monitoring of microbial growth and viable cell density, allowing for quick adjustments to ensure maximum growth rates and productivity. By continuously tracking these parameters, manufacturers can fine-tune fermentation conditions. Improving overall yield and reducing waste is crucial for meeting the demand for clean meat and other alternative proteins. Hamilton’s Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tools play a vital role in this optimization process by providing real-time, accurate data that allows bioprocess operators to monitor and adjust critical parameters. This integrated approach ensures improved product yield, consistency, and efficiency across all stages of fermentation.
Faster Scale-Up
Scaling precision fermentation from lab to commercial production requires precise control to maintain consistency, quality, and efficiency.
Solution: Hamilton’s sensors help mitigate this challenge by providing real-time data on critical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and CO2 levels. Hamilton's sensors enable precise control and monitoring throughout the entire fermentation process. Ensuring optimal conditions are maintained as production scales, improving the reproducibility and reliability of the final product.
Ensuring Consistency and Quality
Maintaining product consistency is challenging in precision fermentation due to biological variability, which can lead to batch-to-batch inconsistencies.
Solution: Hamilton’s in-line sensors monitor and provide feedback-driven control. This provides continuous, real-time data to maintain stable fermentation conditions, minimizing the risk of process variations. This ensures that animal-free products consistently meet both quality standards and regulatory requirements.
Precision Fermentation Workflow
Precision fermentation involves a complex workflow. First, a suitable host organism is selected and genetically engineered to produce the desired product. The engineered strain is then cultivated in optimized fermentation conditions, considering factors like media composition, pH, and aeration.
Once the fermentation is complete, the product is recovered and purified through downstream processing techniques. Rigorous quality control measures are implemented throughout the process to ensure product consistency and safety. Additionally, sustainability considerations, such as using renewable feedstocks and energy-efficient processes, are crucial for responsible production.
Precision Fermentation Applications
Precision fermentation applications depend on advanced sensors and monitoring technologies to maintain optimal conditions for sustainable food production and cellular agriculture. These sensors play a vital role in controlling the fermentation environment and ensuring that microbial growth is efficient and stable.
In microbial fermentation, sensors measure critical parameters like CO2 levels, pH, and dissolved oxygen, which are essential to maintaining a productive fermentation process. By continuously tracking these variables, we can adjust conditions in real-time to prevent process fluctuations and optimize the yield of valuable ingredients.
Cell density sensors, such as Dencytee and Incyte, provide accurate microbial growth and viable cell density measurements, ensuring that fermentation remains at its peak efficiency. These tools are particularly important in producing animal-free and genetically modified products, including alternative proteins like vegan dairy, which are central to creating a more sustainable and efficient food system.
By leveraging these precision fermentation technologies, we can drive the development of next-generation food products that meet consumer demand for sustainable food production and support the transition to a more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient food system.
What Can Be Made with Precision Fermentation?
Precision fermentation enables the production of animal-free proteins, enzymes, and other essential ingredients used in a wide range of food products. This technology is integral to sustainable food production and offers an innovative way to create dairy products like whey protein and specialty nutrients without animal involvement.
Applications of precision fermentation include the production of proteins for egg and dairy products, contributing to a more sustainable and efficient food system. These functional ingredients play a key role in enhancing food security and promoting environmental sustainability by reducing reliance on traditional farming practices, thus providing environmentally and ethically sound alternatives.
Precision Fermentation Case Studies and Application Notes
Other Precision fermentation Resources
Browse app notes, user guides, specification documents, and more in our Knowledge Center.
Browse app notes, user guides, specification documents, and more in our Knowledge Center.
Browse app notes, user guides, specification documents, and more in our Knowledge Center.
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