3. Design criteria

The design criteria for an industrial fermenter depend on the biological fermentation reaction to be implemented, with the aim of producing either biomass (yeast, for example), or molecules contained in or produced by the micro-organism (organic acids, amino acids, polysaccharides, etc.).

Depending on the selected metabolism, the criteria of sterility, material transfer, gas transfer and heat transfer impose calculation conditions that govern fermenter design.

First, we'll review the consequences of these criteria in terms of the data that must be included in a specification, and then we'll give some examples of how these criteria can be integrated into the manufacture of industrial fermenters.