What is fermentation in biotechnology?

In the field of modern biotechnology, fermentation is a vital biological process that uses microorganisms, cells or organisms to transform organic substances to produce various useful products or energy. Fermentation is widely used in fields such as the food industry, pharmaceutical industry, environmental protection and energy production.

The process of fermentation involves microorganisms or cells using substrates to produce enzyme catalysis under suitable environmental conditions, thereby converting the substrate into the desired product. These products can be food additives, drugs, alcohol, acids, gases or other chemicals. During the fermentation process, the growth and metabolic activities of microorganisms are very sensitive to factors such as temperature, pH value, oxygen content, substrate concentration, etc. Therefore, these conditions need to be strictly controlled to ensure efficient product production.

Basic principles and processes of fermentation

Fermentation is a biological process based on the metabolic transformation of a substrate by microorganisms, cells or organisms. This process requires specific environmental conditions and the participation of suitable microorganisms, and is mainly divided into three stages: early proliferation, mid-term fermentation, and late harvest.

In the early proliferation stage, appropriate culture media and conditions need to be provided to enable the selected microorganisms or cells to rapidly proliferate and reach a suitable biomass. The key to this stage is to provide sufficient nutrients, water and oxygen, and to control the temperature and pH value to promote the growth and reproduction of microorganisms.

In the mid-fermentation stage, microorganisms or cells begin to use the substrates in the culture medium to perform metabolic reactions to produce the desired products. The key to this stage is to control various conditions during the fermentation process, such as temperature, pH value, oxygen content and stirring speed, to ensure high purity and high yield of the product.

During the later harvest stages, appropriate methods are required to separate and extract the products from the fermentation broth. The key to this stage is to select appropriate separation technology and equipment, such as centrifuges, filters, crystallization and distillation, etc., to achieve efficient extraction and purification of the product.

Fermentation applications in biotechnology

As an important biotechnology, fermentation has extensive and far-reaching applications in various fields. The following are several typical applications of fermentation in the food industry, pharmaceutical industry and environmental protection fields:

In the food industry, fermentation is widely used to produce a variety of foods and condiments. For example, yogurt is made by fermenting lactose in milk with lactic acid bacteria, which has rich nutritional value and good taste; bread is made by fermenting starch in dough with yeast, making it soft and fluffy. The texture and unique aroma are; and condiments such as soy sauce, alcohol, and tempeh are also made through microbial fermentation, adding unique flavor and taste to the food.

In the pharmaceutical industry, fermentation is used to produce a variety of drugs and biologics. For example, antibiotics are produced through the fermentation of specific substrates by microorganisms. For example, penicillin is an antibiotic produced by the fermentation of Penicillium and is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections; in addition, biological agents such as recombinant protein drugs, vaccines, and hormones are also Produced through fermentation technology, it has the advantages of high efficiency, safety and high purity.

In the field of environmental protection, fermentation is used to process and utilize organic waste. For example, sewage treatment plants use the fermentation of microorganisms to degrade and remove organic matter in sewage and purify water quality; in the field of bioenergy, fermentation technology is used to produce biodiesel, bioethanol and other renewable energy sources, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Gas emissions.

Application of fermentation in biotechnology in tanning products

• Fermentation Extraction of Active Ingredients: The metabolites produced by the microbial fermentation process can contain active ingredients that are beneficial to the skin, such as vitamins, amino acids, and peptides. These active ingredients help repair damaged skin cells and promote skin regeneration, thereby reducing skin discomfort after sun exposure.
• Regulates skin tone evenness: Certain active ingredients in fermentation products may have the effect of regulating skin pigmentation. They inhibit the overproduction of melanin, reduce the formation of dark spots, and make skin tone more even.
• Improve the bioavailability of products: Fermentation technology can convert ingredients that are difficult to absorb into forms that are more easily absorbed and utilized by the skin, thereby improving the bioavailability and efficacy of tanning products.
• Enhance product stability: Active ingredients extracted through fermentation may have better stability and can enhance the shelf life and effectiveness of tanning products.
• Improve the naturalness and safety of products: Active ingredients produced using fermentation technology are usually derived from natural microbial strains. Compared with chemically synthesized ingredients, they are more natural and safer, and meet consumers' needs for green and harmless products.

Development and future trends of fermentation technology

As an important biological process, fermentation technology has achieved tremendous development and progress in the past few decades. With the continuous innovation of science and technology and the continuous growth of industrial demand, fermentation technology is also constantly evolving and improving.

Fermentation technology is becoming more automated and intelligent. Traditional fermentation processes usually require manual operation and monitoring, but with the widespread application of automated equipment and intelligent control systems, modern fermentation processes have achieved a high degree of automation and intelligence, greatly improving production efficiency and product quality, and reducing human errors. Possibility of operation.

The production scale of fermentation technology continues to expand. With the development of bioprocess engineering and the advancement of production technology, the production scale of modern fermentation plants has expanded from small laboratories to large industrial production lines, which can meet production tasks of different scales and needs, and achieve full utilization of resources and energy efficiency. save.

The production costs of fermentation technology are gradually decreasing. With the maturity of bioprocess engineering and the reduction of the cost of production technology, modern fermentation technology has achieved a significant reduction in production costs, making fermented products more popular and economical, providing consumers with more choices and convenience.

In the future, with the continuous development of biotechnology and engineering, fermentation technology will be further innovated and improved. It is expected that in the next few years, fermentation technology will pay more attention to sustainable development and ecological environmental protection, and promote the development of fermentation processes in a more green, environmentally friendly and efficient direction. At the same time, with the development of interdisciplinary subjects such as biology, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, fermentation technology will further become intelligent, digital and customized, providing more possibilities and opportunities for applications in various fields.

 Joinband’s bio-fermentation technology

As a biotechnology enterprise with innovative spirit and social responsibility, Joinband has made remarkable achievements and progress in the field of biological fermentation. The company will continue to adhere to the development concept of "innovation, cooperation, and win-win", continue to promote the innovation and application of biotechnology, and products produced using biotechnology, like 1,3-Dihydroxyacetone (DHA),L-Erythrulose(DHB), (R)-3-Aminobutanoic acid, and make greater contributions to the sustainable development of human society.