What is the Purpose of Bioprocessing?

The development of cutting-edge biotherapies and other critical products has resulted in an increase in the importance of bioprocessing. According to Sapio Sciences (https://www.sapiosciences.com/bioprocessing), this is because bioprocessing is a crucial stage in the production of these goods and in making them available to the general public. Despite the challenges and high costs involved, bioprocessing has a wide range of uses in the contemporary world. These applications include anything from vaccines and cell therapies to food and biofuels.

The good news is that in recent years, a wide variety of cutting-edge technologies and methodologies have emerged with the express objective of resolving these challenges and contributing to the improvement and decrease in cost that characterises contemporary bioprocessing. In this article, we will examine some of the fundamental aspects of bioprocessing.

What is Bioprocessing

Bioprocessing, also known as biological manufacturing, is a scientific sub discipline that uses living organisms like bacteria, enzymes, and cells to create commercially viable end products. Examples of end products of bioprocessing include biofuels made from algae, penicillin from mould and beer from yeast.

To ease the production of goods through bioprocessing, scientists have developed ways to scale up biological operations. Due to the breadth and depth of bioprocessing’s possible applications, experts in various scientific fields, including but not limited to chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, and chemical engineering, are required.

Types of Bioprocessing

According to the method, bioprocessing may be broken down into three distinct categories:

Upstream processing
Cell bioprocessing
Downstream processing

Cell Bioprocessing

Cell therapy bioprocessing is a sub-field of bioprocess engineering that combines cell therapy concepts with bioprocessing (i.e., the production of biopharmaceuticals). Bioprocessing in cell therapy aims to standardise and improve the procedures used to create therapeutic cells, with the ultimate objective of expanding the field.

Upstream Bioprocessing

Therapeutic cell production includes both upstream and downstream processes. Upstream bioprocessing begins with isolating the first cells and culture, continuing through cell banking and growth, and finally, culminating in the harvest.

The first step of any bioprocess is the cultivation of microorganisms or cells in bioreactors. Upstream bioprocessing includes:

Creating an inoculum
Media development
Genetic engineering-based inoculum enhancement
Optimisation the growth kinetics

Downstream Bioprocessing

The downstream stage of a bioprocess is the stage at which the upstream cell mass is purified and analysed to fulfil quality standards. The collected culture may be distilled directly to isolate the volatile compounds. Continuous stills, operating at low pressure, are used for the distillation process. Downstream processing consists of the following steps:

Separation: This requires isolating the therapeutic target from the cells that were responsible for its production. In most cases, the separation of the biomass is accomplished by the use of centrifugation or ultra-centrifugation (microbial cells). The used medium is thrown away, while the biomass is reused for different types of processing. In the event that it is found to be cellular, the biomass is discarded. Ultrafiltration can be used instead of centrifugation in certain situations.
Cell Disruption: If the product is located within the cell, the biomass of the cell may be broken up to facilitate its release. The separation of the solids from the liquid is accomplished using centrifugation or filtration, and the resultant cell debris is discarded.
Concentration: If the product of the bioprocess is extracellular, the medium utilised is concentrated.
Metabolite Purification: Based on the molecule’s physicochemical properties, several methods are utilised to extract the product from the clarified fermented broth.
De-watering: If the product of interest is present at a low concentration alongside a considerable number of undesirable by-products, water is removed from the mixture, and the product is concentrated. Reverse osmosis and vacuum drying are two methods that may be used for this purpose.
Metabolite Polishing: The polishing of the metabolites is the last stage in producing an end product that is of the highest possible purity. Following the completion of the cleaning process, the material is mixed with a number of different fillers. When the final product is finished, it is packaged and then sent to the stores where it will be sold.

Uses of Bioprocessing

Bioprocessing has found applications in various fields. Some of the industries that depend on the bioprocessing approach to manufacturing are:

Pharmaceuticals
Nutraceuticals
Animal feed
Chemicals
Cosmetics
Polymers
Paper
Food
Fuel

Author
Recent Posts

defouranalytics

AI Business Analytics Expert at DeFour Analytics

Emily Jordan has a Ph.D. in Data Science and is an expert in using AI to analyze data. She is excellent at turning complicated information into useful information, and she is well-known in the industry. Emily has been writing about AI analytics for more than ten years. She combines academic knowledge with practical experience to make artificial intelligence analytics accessible to everyone.

Latest posts by defouranalytics (see all)