MAX300 – BIO Bioreactor/Fermentation Mass Spectrometer from Extrel

Extrel’s MAX300 – BIO is an analytical platform designed to provide real-time process data on up to 80+ reactors within the facility as well as offer high sensitivity to measure trace contaminants in the end product.

Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for bioreactor monitoring. Any alterations in the headspace composition in a fermentor or bioreactor provide critical information into cellular health and production efficiency. This enables the rapid and precise analysis of the gases flowing out of the reactor essential for real-time process control.

The MAX300-BIO is designed with the advanced quadrupole mass spectrometer technology to quantify bioreactor gases from multiple reactors within the facility and supplies reports to the control system in real-time.

The Questor5 software drives the MAX300-Bio to measure all sample points in a completely customizable sequence for site-specific, automated production control.

Based on the effluent composition, the MAX300-BIO calculates the key indicators of organism health and process efficiency:

Total gas flow

Total mass balance

Respiratory quotient (RQ)

Carbon dioxide evolution rate (CER)

Oxygen uptake rate (OUR)

Liquid concentrations in the vessel

Batch quality – Testing of minor ppm/ppb level components such as formaldehyde, methanol, acetic acid, etc.

Key Features

The main features of the MAX300 are listed below:

Detectable compounds: Any gas or vapor sample

Detection range - 100% - 10ppm standard, 10ppb with the electron multiplier option

Number of components - unlimited

Number of analysis routines - unlimited

Number of sample streams - 16, 31, 40, 80+

Analysis rate - <0.4 sec per component

Number of user-configurable data tags - unlimited

Analysis precision - <0.25% relative standard deviation

Stability - <0.5% relative standard deviation over 30 days

Mass range options - 1-250, 300, or 500amu

Dual filament - one active/one spare with automatic switchover

Manual or fully-automated calibration and validation

Maintenance - typically two PMs per year

Applications

The following are the products produced by industrial bioreactors:

Alcoholic beverages

Biofuels

Bread products

Biomass

Ethanol

Biopolymers

Waste treatment

Pharmaceutical products - Enzymes, antibiotics, steriods and vitamins