STREAMLINING FERMENTATION- PROFIT OR EFFICIENCY?

(THE PICTURE TAKEN FROM WWW.SRC.SK.CA)



Economics is the single factor that dictate whether a particular industrial fermentation process is viable despite the fermentation process being technically viable. There is always the need to produce fermentation products at minimal costs so that the product will be cheaper on the market in the face of stiff competition from other producers

Various strategies are often taken to cut the production costs down such as:
1 Producing higher volume of the fermentation products using larger fermentors
2 Using cheaper source of fermentation raw materials
3 Cutting wastage of materials by using it efficiently
4 Making the fermentation process more efficient by using higher producing strains or better unit processes in the fermentation process

There are times however where the fermentation companies see a potential increase in demand for their fermentation products and decided that whether it is the best option to consider enlarging the capacity of their production by increasing the number and size of fermentors? This is a very risky decision to take as increasing the number and size of fermentors is a very huge investment in capital. Would it not be better if we can increase the efficiency of the existing fermentation process to its most achievable limit of optimization before deciding if an increase in production capacity is a viable option

While it is true that increasing the numbers and size of fermentors could increase the production capacity of the company, but if it is run at the same inefficiency as before there is going to be a high increase in the amount of potential wastes from operating costs to wasted fermentation media

The most important step therefore is to find ways of increasing the efficiency of the existing fermentation process and find at which step from the upstream activities to downstream activities where they are found to be rate limiting to the whole fermentation process. Proper analyses or studies must be carried out in terms time spent at each step.

TIME IS ESSENCE
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try shortening it at each unit until total efficiency objective is reached at each component step. This even include the CIP/COP times! Use a more efficient method of cleaning and more effective chemicals. This will allow a shorter turn around time for the fermentors to be reused again!

If every unit or steps in the fermentation process makes effort and improve their efficiency and time management then the overall fermentation process will be improved.
Meetings must be held regularly to see how the new fermentation run schedule could be further improved with the increase in efficiency and overall shortening of the time

Secondly, even the rate limiting steps are identified and adjusted, it might create different bottlenecks down stream to the rate limiting steps. Fermentation process is a dynamic process whereby any step changed upstream will affect the various downstream steps. There will also need to be changes to be carried out upstream to accommodate the different flow rate to the primary recovery step

ANALYSES OF THE RATE LIMITING STEP
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We can picture the industrial fermentation process involving the four main stages:


PRECULTURE --> FERMENTATION-->PRIMARY RECOVERY -->DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING

It is very obvious from the above flow chart that the most rate limiting step is the primary recovery step. Any change in the primary recovery step positively will also mean changes both upstream and down stream to the primary recovery step. Adjustments in both directions have to be made

FACILITATING THE FLOW
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In any industrial fermentation process could be seen as a series of events occurring or passing through a series of unit processes which end up as the 'packaged product' at the end. A good fermentation production floor is no better than a kitchen at home. A well designed kitchen equipped with the proper equipments and tools at the right place properly positioned will help improve the fermentation cooking process

The flow of the fermentation process must be maintained efficiently with no hold up and proper equipments in placed

Side activities that enter into the flow such as media preparation, sampling and analysis must enter the flow at the right time and place