Opportunities for marine bioprocess intensification using novel bioreactor design: Frequency of barotolerance in microorganisms obtained from surface waters

In the context of marine biochemical systems, opportunities exist for the development of novel reactors, with optimization and conversion of current technologies having the potential to yield more efficient units. A limiting factor in the widespread commercial acceptance of a large range of marine metabolites is the efficient production of, for example, sufficient quantities of antibiotics and nutraceuticals to allow for structural analysis and clinical testing. Conventional methods utilized for physical and chemical process intensification require careful analysis of their potential application to shear-sensitive bioprocess systems. Stress induction, for example, provides one route to marine bioprocess intensification due to the expression of metabolites not otherwise possible. Use of high pressure as a stressing agent and/or intensification tool is discussed, and its potential, demonstrated by showing the existence of barotolerant (at 120 MPa) marine microorganisms obtained from shallow surface waters (<1.5 m deep), is shown. Microorganisms associated with the surface of, for example, seaweed show a greater likelihood of being barotolerant.