Design and implementation of an affordable laboratory‐scale bioreactor for the production of microbial natural products

Abstract

Large‐scale bacteria culturing can present many challenges for small academic laboratories. To address these challenges a cost effective, laboratory scale bioreactor was designed and implemented. The constructed bioreactor addresses common problems that small or teaching‐focused laboratories face when attempting scale up cultures. The design utilizes materials commonly found in standard chemistry laboratories that are easily assembled with minor modifications. The system was validated through the replication of natural product production in shake flasks and the bioreactor. Additionally, measurements were done to ensure the designed bioreactor had comparable kLa values to common shake flask conditions. We anticipate that this design will be of use to other small academic natural product groups as well as teaching laboratories as it offers an economical way to undertake large scale culturing of microorganisms.

Keywords

• low‐cost bioreactor
• natural products
• teaching laboratories
• undergraduate education