Improvement of the Penicillin Production in Bench-Scale Reactors by On-Line Measurement, Data Evaluation and Parameter-Adaptive Control

Penicillin V was produced in a 40 L volume stirred-tank (ST) and in a 100 L volume airlift tower loop (AL) reactor with Penicillium chrysogenum S2 in fed-batch operation. Concentrations of phosphate, sulfate, urea, ammonium, reducing sugars, glucose, lactose, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured by an autoanalyser and glucose on-line with a flow-injection analyser and an enzyme thermistor. Penicillin V, side-chain precursor, by-products, and decomposition products of Penicillin V were measured by on-line HPLC.