The Bioprocess engineering team provides solutions for a variety of bioprocesses and exploitation of different organisms – from bacteria, yeasts and fungi to algae and plant cells. Precise monitoring and characterization of microbial physiology in process conditions facilitates optimization and scale-up from bench scale cultivations to semi-industrial pilot scale processes.

Through our unique combination of competences in microbial physiology, advanced measurement technology and computational biology, we can help our customers to assess the feasibility of a newly developed process as well as advance their bioproduction system to an optimized and industrially viable level.

Our customers are typically working in the fields of biochemicals, biofuels and enzymes, as well as in diagnostic applications such as the production of antibodies. We also develop processes for the cosmetic and food industry and biorefinery concepts for a variety of products from biomass, hydrolysates and other sidestreams. Our expertise also comprises brewing science and we offer comprehensive services for the beverage industry.

Expertise:

• Bioprocess development and modelling
• Fermentations and their control (feeding strategies and continuous cultures)
• Pilot scale downstream processing (e.g. cell separation, ultrafiltration, drying)
• Automated cultivations with the Sartorius ambr250 system
• Microbial physiology
• Biofuels and biorefinery
• Fungal protein production
• Biorefinery, biofuels and -chemicals
• Brewing yeast, beverage fermentation and flavour generation

Facilities​

• VTT’s bioprocess facilities are well equipped with more than 60 fermenters, ranging from less than 100 ml to 1,200 l working volume
• The reactors are connected to various online measurements for real time process monitoring and control. In addition, several parameters can be measured from offline samples (such as cell dry weight, sugars and organic acids) to fully characterize the fermentation process.
• Bioprocess automation platform (Biolector Pro, Biolector II and Ambr250)
• Downstream processing equipment​: centrifuges, drum filter, continuous separator, press filter, pressure-based cell lysis, micro- and ultrafiltration​ units

Please find more information on our cultivation and downstream equipment here. 

For more information about automation and robotics, please check here. 

To get a better impression of our equipment and the possibilities you can check out these two videos:
VTT Industrial Biotechnology: Microtiter to Pilot Scale
VTT Industrial Biotechnology: Pilot facility