Droplet Microfluidic Technique for the Study of Fermentation

作者：Churski Krzysztof; Ruszczak Artur; Jakiela Slawomir; Garstecki Piotr

来源：Micromachines, 2015, 6(10): 1514-1525.

DOI：10.3390/mi6101435

• droplet microfluidics
• cell culturing
• ethanol fermentation
• enzymatic assay
• process optimization

We demonstrate a technique that uses microdroplets for culturing and selecting bacterial cultures in a model biotechnological application. We propose an assay for determination of ethanol concentration that provides increased dynamic range and is compatible with droplet microfluidic screening technologies. The assay comprises two enzymesalcohol oxidase (AOX) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)and a colorimetric readout system of phenol-4-sulfonic acid (PSA) and 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP). The microdroplet method provides high repeatability (a relative error of measured ethanol concentration < 5%), high specificity for ethanol, low consumption of reagents and wide dynamic range (1-70 gL(-1)) compared to existing assays. We report the use of this method in a screen of ethanol generation efficiency of Zymomonas mobilis (strain 3881) against the concentration of glucose in the culture media.

• 出版日期2015-10