Industry Academia Collaborations
Biocon India designed, developed and patented a new bioreactor, the PlaFractor for carrying out fermentations that use solid matrices, a term overing both nutritive support matrices as well as non-nutritive matrices impregnated with medium. It was commissioned in 2000. Using the PlaFractor process it is now possible to extend the use of solid matrix fermentation for the production of enzymes, biocontrol agents and pharmaceutical products, that require elaborate containment-under precisely defined conditions. The PlaFractor is designed to replace the cooker, the trays, the incubation rooms and the extraction device in the semi-automated tray culture process, with one compact piece of equipment.
PlaFractor technology makes fermentation repeatable, predictable and reliable. It requires less equipment and floor space than older solid substrate fermentation technologies, and conserves energy. It is a cost-effective bioreactor which enables all the different stage processes involved in the cultivation and extraction of microorganisms to be carried out within a fully enclosed system and under precise computer control. The product Mycophenolate Mofetil an immuno-suppressant, was produced using this newly developed Plafractor technology and successfully commercialized using financial assistance received from TDB.