DEVELOPMENT OF A NONTOXIC ACOUSTIC WINDOW NUTRIENT-MIST BIOREACTOR AND RELEVANT GROWTH DATA

A nutrient-mist bioreactor was designed that separates the nutrient me dium from the electronic components via an acoustic window. This elimi nates compromising culture sterility when repairing mechanical failure s common with commercially available mist reactors. The experimental m ist bioreactor is low cost and can be assembled in any laboratory. Tox icity tests of several potential acoustically transparent materials ar e included. Details of the construction procedures include methods for casting the window. Growth data using the newly designed nutrient mis t bioreactor are compared to data from a commercial mist reactor, shak e flasks, and Gelrite cultures. Artemisia annua hairy roots and Nephro lepis exaltata shoot cultures showed growth comparable to the conventi onal tissue culture methods.