Precision fermentation and microbial protein
Precision fermentation is the production of a specific protein or other food ingredient with recombinant microorganisms. Whey and casein proteins and the cheese-making enzyme chymosin are examples of products made this way. In microbial protein and single-cell protein (SCP) production, the product is the yeast, filamentous fungal or bacterial biomass itself. In both fields, food safety, allergen management and the applicable regulations are taken into account from the start of process design. In commercial production, cost is determined by product yield, volumetric productivity, raw material price and downstream processing.
Application-specific process requirements
Expression and secretion
Secretion of the protein outside the cell simplifies harvest and purification; for food proteins, hosts with high secretion capacity such as Komagataella phaffii, Trichoderma reesei or Aspergillus are therefore often used. As in recombinant protein production, the process mostly consists of fed-batch growth and induction phases.
Microbial biomass
In mycoprotein and single-cell protein production, the target is biomass with a defined nutritional value. Nucleic acid content and cell wall structure determine the subsequent processing steps. In filamentous fungi, rheology and shear sensitivity affect agitator selection.
Pilot scale and sample production
In food ingredient development, the samples needed for sensory analysis, application tests and the regulatory dossier are produced at pilot scale. Because Talamus laboratory and pilot systems use the same software and data structure, process data from different scales can be compared in the same structure.
Production methods used
Talamus models for this application
| Model | Scale | Working volume | Sterilisation | Delivery | Control structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TLM Lab | Laboratory systems | Laboratory scale; vessel volume and number of parallel reactors per configuration | Autoclave | Benchtop | Shared loop and data structure |
| TLM120 | Pilot-scale systems | 20 L seed reactor + 100 L pilot reactor | Automated SIP | Skid-mounted | Shared phase, loop and data structure |
| TLM500 | Pilot-scale systems | 500 L working volume (600 L total) | Automated SIP | Skid-mounted | Shared phase, loop and data structure |
Technical consultation request
Information on the target product, production organism, target scale and existing process data is sufficient for an initial assessment.