DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY - GEA, a leading global technology company, has taken a major leap forward in bioreactor technology by introducing a groundbreaking digital twin for virtual testing of bioreactors before their physical construction. This innovative digital twin promises to create an ideal growth environment for cultured cells, significantly advancing the capabilities of bioreactors in the food industry.
Bioreactors play a pivotal role in various industries, especially in the context of cell culture and fermentation processes. These vessels are tasked with replicating the complex conditions found within living organisms, making them a critical element in numerous applications. GEA's digital twin technology aims to enhance the predictability, reliability, and replicability of bioreactor performance while maximizing productivity.
Daniel Grenov, the Product Manager for Bioreactor Technologies at GEA, explained the significance of this breakthrough: "A bioreactor is a vessel that has to function like a living body. Inside it, life develops under highly complex conditions. Working on an industrial scale, we have to make living organisms predictable because we need reliable and replicable performance to go hand in hand with maximum productivity. A digital twin simulates the environment inside bioreactors in a wide variety of scenarios. This lets us precisely match the tank design and the mechanical configuration for fine-tuning parameters such as shear stress, temperature, nutrient, and oxygen distribution to what the cells need."
The core of this virtual bioreactor testing lies in computational fluid dynamics, a sophisticated modelling technique. It accurately replicates the growth behaviour of cells and simulates crucial factors such as oxygen and nutrient distribution within the reactor. This precise modelling ensures that the bioreactor's design and mechanical configuration align seamlessly with the requirements of the cultured cells, creating an optimal growth environment.
GEA's digital twin technology represents a significant advancement in bioreactor design, offering a level of precision and predictability that was previously unattainable. This innovation is poised to revolutionize the field of bioreactors and has the potential to drive advancements in various industries, particularly those reliant on cell culture and fermentation processes. As the global leader in technology solutions, GEA continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of biotechnology.
