EMU: Purchase of a system of parallel mini-bioreactors for microbial cultivations

• Grant number: 23/17373-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Infrastructure Program - Small Medium Sized
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Andreas Karoly Gombert
• Grantee: Andreas Karoly Gombert
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Adriano Pinto Mariano ; Ana Paula Jacobus ; Jeferson Gross ; Juliano Lemos Bicas ; Rosana Goldbeck Coelho ; Thiago Olitta Basso

Abstract

This proposal to acquire an EMU, a system of parallel mini-bioreactors, for the cultivation of microorganisms, involves 6 higher education and research institutions in the state of SP (Faculty of Food Engineering and Faculty of Chemical Engineering at Unicamp, Escola Politécnica and Engineering School of Lorena at USP, Bioenergy Research Institute and Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Unesp), 10 associated researchers, in addition to technical and administrative support for the management of the EMU. The equipment can be used in the development of industrial bioprocesses or in microbial physiology studies. Bioreactor cultivations allow quantitative analyzes that cannot be performed using flask cultivations. The parallel mini-bioreactor system, with 6 vats, allows two experiments to be carried out in biological triplicates, which allows adequate statistical analyzes to be carried out. The system is quite flexible, as it can be used to grow bacteria, yeast or filamentous fungi, which are the main types of microorganisms used in industrial biotechnology. The Laboratory of Metabolic Engineering and Bioprocesses (LEMeB), where the EMU will be installed, has a higher-level technician, with a doctorate. FEA has a Research Department that gives administrative support. Unicamp's Dean of Research already has our laboratory registered on its website, for access by external users. Through the creation of a Management Committee, which will manage the use of the EMU and report to FAPESP on the use of the EMU annually, we will be able to offer the scientific community in the state of SP, and perhaps in other states, if there is an agenda, equipment that will allow carrying out important research in the area of industrial biotechnology. (AU)