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    The document discusses the development of biochemical engineering from the penicillin experience during World War II. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 but it was largely ignored until scientists at Oxford University rediscovered it and proved it could treat wound infections. Initial production of penicillin was very low but increased 50-fold after efforts to mass produce it. Pfizer was the first company to mass produce penicillin. The techniques learned to produce high yields of penicillin in stirred tank bioreactors became the foundation of biochemical engineering. Commercialization of biotechnology involves scaling up production from lab to industrial scales, which biochemical engineers help design by determining parameters like power needs, cooling requirements, inoculation sizes, and equipment for downstream processing.

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    Hand-out 2

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    The document discusses the development of biochemical engineering from the penicillin experience during World War II. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 but it was largely ignored until scientists at Oxford University rediscovered it and proved it could treat wound infections. Initial production of penicillin was very low but increased 50-fold after efforts to mass produce it. Pfizer was the first company to mass produce penicillin. The techniques learned to produce high yields of penicillin in stirred tank bioreactors became the foundation of biochemical engineering. Commercialization of biotechnology involves scaling up production from lab to industrial scales, which biochemical engineers help design by determining parameters like power needs, cooling requirements, inoculation sizes, and equipment for downstream processing.

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    10 views2 pages

    Hand-Out 2

    Uploaded by

    john phol belen
    The document discusses the development of biochemical engineering from the penicillin experience during World War II. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 but it was largely ignored until scientists at Oxford University rediscovered it and proved it could treat wound infections. Initial production of penicillin was very low but increased 50-fold after efforts to mass produce it. Pfizer was the first company to mass produce penicillin. The techniques learned to produce high yields of penicillin in stirred tank bioreactors became the foundation of biochemical engineering. Commercialization of biotechnology involves scaling up production from lab to industrial scales, which biochemical engineers help design by determining parameters like power needs, cooling requirements, inoculation sizes, and equipment for downstream processing.

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    Hand-out 2: Development of Biochemical Engineering

    THE PENICILLIN EXPERIENCE

    Many soldiers were dying from infectious wound during WW II


    On September 1928, Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) accidentally discovered the
    antibacterial properties of the fungus Penicillium.
    The substance released was initially called “mold juice” but was later changed to
    penicillin.
    Scientists at Oxford University rediscovers Alexander Flemming’s earlier publication
    on the germicidal properties of “mold juice” which was largely unnoticed
    Oxford University scientists proved that penicillin could effectively treat wound
    infections
    Initial attempts for mass production was space consuming with very low product
    yields (as low as 0.001 g/L)
    After several attempts, penicillin production increased by 50 folds.
    Pfizer was the first pharmaceutical company to take the challenge of mass producing
    penicillin.

    “The chemical engineering techniques learned for the high penicillin production by the
    fermentation in a stirred tank reactor became the foundation for the biochemical engineering
    field.”

    The penicillin process also established a paradigm for bioprocess development and
    biochemical engineering. The mind set of bioprocess engineers was cast with the
    penicillium experience.

    Commercialization of BIOTECHNOLOGY involves scale up from Laboratory Scale (small)


    Production Scale (large scale).

    Parameter Lab Scale Large Scale


    1. Medium Preparation medium components medium components
    weighed, place in weighed, put in
    flask, dissolved in bioreactor, dissolved
    water by stirring rod in water by agitation
    system
    Biochemical engineer 1
    calculates the power
    requirements of
    agitator motor

    Engr. Melvin P. Jusi | 2nd Semester AY 2013-2014: Batangas State University


    too low: inefficient
    mixing
    Too high: costly

    2. Sterilization autoclave (steam), 121 steam injection into


    C, 10-15 minutes bioreactor jacket
    Biochemical engineer
    calculates steam
    requirements to
    achieve sterilization
    3. Inoculation Wire loop progressive
    Sterile Pipettes inoculation using
    seed fermentors
    biochemical
    engineering “rule of
    thumb” for
    inoculation size: 3%
    to 10% of reactor
    volume
    4. Fermentation flasks, Petri plates, large scale bioreactors
    small fermenters biochemical engineers
    determine power
    requirements for
    agitation equipment,
    cooling water
    requirements,
    aeration rates (for
    aerobic cultivation)
    5. Downstream Lab scale centrifuges, Large equipment for
    Processing filters, product separation
    chromatography and purification
    equipment, etc. Cell separation
    centrifuge,
    chromatography
    columns, filters

    Engr. Melvin P. Jusi | 2nd Semester AY 2013-2014: Batangas State University

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