New Sensor Application in European Industries for Detailed Bioprocess Monitoring

Abstract

The European commission has set up tremendous efforts in order to emphasize a cooperation between universities and European industries in order to establish an efficient transfer of basic research into industrial application. Different areas of science are involved in this program. On major focus in future biotechnology is the establishment of new powerful biosensor systems for an optimized bioprocess monitoring in regard of bioprocess optimization, bioprocess control and quality documentation. In an Europe-wide cooperation between four industrial partners and one university partner a straightforward research project was set up to transfer basic research technology in biosensing and modern data processing into the practical use in production plants of biotechnological industries. Within this 3 year research project a new optical sensor system was designed, set up, tested and applied in pilot and production plants. The sensor system can be used for non-invasive monitoring of bioprocesses in real time application. It offers the possibility to monitor intra- and extracellular components in a broad variety of bioprocesses with high specificity, resulting in detailed information about the processes, and a broad area of application. The potential of the system for bioprocess monitoring will be given in this paper.