Fed-Batch Fermentation for Spinosad Production in an Improved Reactor

As a kind of aerobic bacteria, Saccharopolyspora spinosa exhibits a high demand for oxygen. In the fermentation process, the methods of increasing ventilation and improving agitation speed are usually adopted to achieve higher values of dissolved oxygen. These methods decrease the efficiency of spinosad biosynthesis. In this study, an improved reactor was designed to solve these problems. The exhaust gas reflux device, impellers, and baffles were improved. Furthermore, we established the kinetic models for the cell growth, substrate consumption and spinosad generation in batch fermentation process. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental data. Spinosad production reached 583.86 mg/L after employing the suitable feeding strategy by fed-batch fermentation in the improved reactor, whereas it was only 157.01 mg/L before optimization. The method described can provide insight to strengthen spinosad production and can be extended to the culturing process of filamentous aerobic bacteria.