Validation of a small scale and a low cost anaerobic system for microbial applications

Many of the industrial building block chemicals are produced using anaerobic fermentations. Understanding the physiology of such microorganisms is vital for metabolic engineering. However, achieving fully anaerobic conditions in the laboratory is quite difficult because of the high surface area to volume ratio involved [2]. To overcome the issue of cost (anaerobic chambers have high operating cost) and to facilitate a certain degree of through-put, we developed a low cost anaerobic set-up. The aim of this project is to validate a system by cultivating different yeast strains (Kluyveromyces lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Therefore, the development of this system will allow researches on ethanol production and many other anaerobic processes to ensure the absence of oxygen in their experiments.