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Indole Alkaloid Formation by Catharanthus roseus Cells in a Biofilm Reactor
Author(s) -
Kargi F.,
Ganapathi B.,
Maricic K.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
biotechnology progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.572
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6033
pISSN - 8756-7938
DOI - 10.1021/bp00004a002
Subject(s) - biofilm , catharanthus roseus , indole alkaloid , indole test , alkaloid , apocynaceae , suspension culture , biomass (ecology) , chemistry , bioreactor , suspension (topology) , microbiology and biotechnology , chromatography , botany , biology , cell culture , biochemistry , bacteria , ecology , genetics , mathematics , homotopy , pure mathematics
Catharanthus roseus cells producing indole alkaloids were grown in the form of a biofilm. Production medium was circulated through the reactor parallel to the upper surface of the horizontal biofilm. Sugar consumption and indole alkaloid formation were followed to compare the performance of cultures with different biofilm thicknesses. Dissolved oxygen concentration gradients within the biofilms were determined at the end of each run. RNA and protein content of the cells in the upper and lower layers of the biofilms were compared. Results obtained in the biofilm experiments were compared to those obtained with suspension cultures. At optimized biofilm thicknesses, the biofilm reactor was more effective than suspension cultures in maximizing indole alkaloid titers. This is thought to be due to better cell‐cell contact within the biofilm and nutrient concentration gradients, which resulted in low growth rates.