A comparative evaluation of cephalosporin -C production in stirred tank reactor and air lift reactor

Abstract

Cephalosporins group of antibiotics are more resistant to β lactamases than penicillins and are produced from cephalosporin -C (CPC), which is exclusively produced by fermentations. Many strains are used for the production of CPC. However, Cephalosporium acremonium is widely used because of its high yield. The CPC production is a highly aerobic process. Sucrose was found to be the most suitable substrate at 30 g/L. The CPC production has been studied in 2.0 L stirred tank reactor (STR) and 1.4 L air lift reactor (ALR), and performance compared, using a working volume 1.0 L. The maximum specific growth rate was 0.045 and 0.037 h-1 in STR and ALR respectively. The maximum cell mass concentrations were 685 mg L-1 in ALBR and 780 mg L-1 in STR. The specific antibiotic productivity based on power input (CPC/(P/ V) is higher by a factor of 2.4 in ALR than in STR.