On-line analysis and control of production of antibiotics

Abstract

The prerequisites for the utility of on-line techniques for monitoring and control of biotechnological production processes are discussed. Aseptic filters, air-segmented continuous-flow automatic analyzers, flow-injection analyzers and on-line HPLC systems are discussed. These were used for the process analysis and control of penicillin V and cephalosporin C production in stirred-tank and airlift-tower loop reactors. The results of on-line and off-line analyses are compared, as are different analytical methods. The suitability of these techniques for process control is demonstrated in several examples.