Opportunities for marine bioprocess intensification using novel bioreactordesign: frequency of barotolerance in microorganisms obtained from surfacewaters

In the context of marine biochemical systems, opportunities exist for the d evelopment of novel reactors, with optimization and conversion of current t echnologies having the potential to yield more efficient units. A limiting factor in the widespread commercial acceptance of a large range of marine m etabolites is the efficient production of, for example, sufficient quantiti es of antibiotics and nutraceuticals to allow for structural analysis and c linical testing. Conventional methods utilised for physical and chemical pr ocess intensification require careful analysis of their potential applicati on to shear-sensitive bioprocess systems. Stress induction, for example, pr ovides one route to marine bioprocess intensification due to the expression of metabolites not otherwise possible. Use of high pressure as a stressing agent and/or intensification tool is discussed, and its potential, demonst rated by showing the existence of barotolerant (at 120 MPa) marine microorg anisms obtained from shallow surface waters (<1.5 m deep), is shown. Microo rganisms associated with the surface of, for example, seaweed show a greate r likelihood of being barotolerant. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.