Critical analysis of engineering aspects of shaken flask bioreactors

Abstract

Shaking bioreactors are the most frequently used reaction vessels in biotechnology. Since their inception, shaking bioreactors have been playing a significant role in medicine, agriculture, food, environmental, and industrial research. In spite of their huge practical importance, very little is known about the characteristic properties of shaken cultures from an engineering point of view. In this paper, a critical analysis is presented of the mixing characteristics, aeration, mass and heat transfer, power consumption, and suitability for on-line monitoring and control of various environmental and other operating parameters in aerated and anaerobic/anoxic conditions. Aspects of cell damage due to shear stress generated in shaken flask and loss of sterility due to contamination are also discussed.

Keywords::

• Shake flasks
• mixing characteristics
• aeration
• gas–liquid mass and heat transfer
• power requirements

Acknowledgments

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.