Cellular Agriculture Upscale

Abstract

This project seeks to determine the most efficient biological reactor design and method ofreactor operation to maximize production of chicken cells. A comparison between the properties of fermentorsand bioreactors showed that a bioreactor is theappropriate biological reactor for this application. The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa) was measured in a 10 L bioreactor.Next activity includes measuring and comparing kLain a 30L fermentorand 50L bioreactor.

Addressing the Need

As the world’s population and food requirements grow, the demand for water, energy, and land will increase beyond what traditional agriculture can provide. Upside Foods has developed a novel bioprocess that can produce chicken meat from a cell line rather than live animals. This technology has the potential to reduce water, energy, and land requirements to produce meat. However, this goal cannot be achieved without an efficient upscale. Since oxygen is often the limiting nutrient in cell culture, this project will focus on oxygen transfer in a biological reactor. Oxygen transfer is quantified with the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, kLa.

Methods

Fig 1.Experimental method. Oxygen was depleted from a 10L bioreactor. Next, air was sparged while the impellor was active. 3 different trials were run.

Results

Fig 2.Experiment results. The kLavalues for a 10L bioreactor ran at various impellor speeds are shown. kLaincreases with increasing impellor speed and decreases with decreasing average bubble surface area.

Conclusion and Future Work

Conclusion: kLais a function of impellor speed/bubble surface area.

To set up the 30L fermentor (above) we collaborated with ThermoFisherto install a temperature control unit, impellor, and mass flow controller. The next step is to measure kLain this reactor. The 50L bioreactor (left) needs a new motor.

Thanks to Upside Foods for sponsoring this project andThermoFisherScientific for donating the 30L and 50Lreactors.