Fermenter

• penicillium= fungus + genus and penicillin = antibiotic
• Penicillium the fungus grows within fermenter and secrets the antibiotic into the surrounding medium
• Antibiotic secreted in fermenter into surrounding medium -> medium filtered once completed -> penicillin extracted
• Advantages of fermenter:

  • Predictable product
  • Control and monitor conditions
  • Efficient
• Why must fermenter be kept at certain conditions?

  to ensure maximum growth of penicillium
• Factors that must be kept constant:

  • temperature
  • pH
  • Sterile air
  • Sterile nutrients
• Respiration is controlled by enzymes
• How is temperature maintained?

  cooling water jacket
• How is pH maintained?

  Monitored using a probe and adding acid/alkali
• Why must sterile air be constant?

  Oxygen for respiration
• Sterile nutrients = glucose, amino acids + minerals
• what does acid-alkali reservoir do?

  adds acid/alkali to maintain optimum pH for enzymes so that their active sites don’t denature
• Fermenter = machine used commercially to grow microorganisms such as penicillin