Application of a multiphase microreactor chemostat for the determination of reaction kinetics of Staphylococcus carnosus

Bioreactors at the microliter scale offer a promising approach to accelerate bioprocess development. Advantages of such microbioreactors include a reduction in the use of expensive reagents. In this study, a chemostat operation mode of a cuvette-based microbubble column bioreactor made of polystyrene (working volume of 550 µL) was demonstrated. Aeration occurs through a nozzle ( Ø ≤ 100 µm) and supports submerged whole-cell cultivation of Staphylococcus carnosus . Stationary concentrations of biomass and glucose were determined in the dilution rate regime ranging from 0.12 to 0.80 1/h with a glucose feed concentration of 1 g/L. For the first time, reaction kinetics of S. carnosus were estimated from data obtained from continuous cultivation. The maximal specific growth rate ( µ max = 0.824 1/h), Monod constant ( K S = 34 × 10 − 3 g S /L), substrate-related biomass yield coefficient ( Y X/S = 0.315 g CDW /g S ), and maintenance coefficient ( m S = 0.0035 g S /(g CDW ·h)) were determined. These parameters are now available for further studies in the field of synthetic biology.