Dec 30 2010
DASGIP has recently expanded the integration program with the Aber Futura biomass sensor. This will enable online monitoring of viable cell concentration during controlled cultivation in Parallel Bioreactor systems.
During measurement, viable cells act as tiny capacitors under the influence of an electric field. The non-conducting nature of the plasma membrane allows a build-up of charge. The resulting capacitance is dependent on the cell type and is directly proportional to the membrane bound volume of these cells. Physiological changes of culture cells can be monitored as the software analyses the biomass spectra over a range of frequencies.
The company has integrated the sensors successfully in their control system. Each Bioreactor can be equipped with a sensor connected with the control system via a serial port using the Modbus protocol. The data is monitored, visualized and stored along with all other process information through the control.
Users can have access to accurate monitoring, smooth logging, and documentation, besides an easy data export to MS-Excel. The biomass signal can also be used for online feedback-control-loops, i.e. to implement user defined feed strategies.
Source: http://www.dasgip.com/