JPH0455520Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] a. Purpose of the invention (industrial application field) The culturing device according to this invention is capable of culturing microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria, cultured plant cells, plant organs, or plant bodies. It can be used when

(Background of the invention) With the development of biotechnology, the cultivation of various microorganisms and plant cultured cells has become widely practiced, and in conjunction with this, various new cultivation methods have been considered. For example, when implementing the method of making a lactic acid bacteria drink whose main ingredient is apple juice devised by the present inventors (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-210948),
When implementing a method of continuously supplying yeast to produce brewed products by culturing yeast, a high concentration of lactic acid bacteria or yeast is immobilized in a granular gel made of calcium alginate, etc. The above-mentioned lactic acid bacteria,
Alternatively, yeast bacteria are cultured in a culture solution.

However, in order to perform efficient culture, it is necessary to constantly stir the culture solution to ensure good contact between the culture solution and the granular gel. If the mixture is stirred, the granular gel will be destroyed due to collision between the granular gel and the stirring blade.

Some culture devices use the airlift effect of air bubbles blown into the culture solution to agitate the culture solution, but the granular gels and the culture solution flow together, making it difficult to control the relative flow rate of the culture solution with respect to each granular gel. Since it is not possible to increase the size of the gel, contact between the granular gel and the culture solution is not always good.

A culture device that eliminates these inconveniences and allows good contact between the culture solution and the granular gel without destroying the granular gel mixed in the culture solution is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-210979. The culture device described in this publication is suitable for small-scale cultivation in a laboratory, and is suitable for large-scale cultivation in an industrial setting. The structure is inappropriate in some cases.

The culture device of the present invention eliminates such inconveniences and provides a structure that allows industrial large-scale culture.

b. Configuration of the invention (means for solving the problem) The culture apparatus of the invention is constructed as shown in the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an outer cylinder made of glass or the like, whose lower end opening is closed by a bottom plate 2, and whose upper end opening is provided with a lid plate 3 that can be opened and closed.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a perforated tube formed by rolling a porous plate material such as wire mesh or punched metal into a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tube 1. It is arranged almost concentrically with the outer cylinder 1. However, when a plurality of perforated cylinders 4 are provided, the plurality of perforated cylinders 4 are arranged concentrically with the outer cylinder 1 at equal intervals.

In the illustrated example (only one perforated cylinder 4), one end of the first feed pipe 5 is opened at the center of the bottom plate 2 and inside the perforated cylinder 4. By connecting the other end of the feed pipe 5 to the suction port of the liquid feed pump 6, the liquid present inside the porous cylinder 4 can be freely discharged. In addition, when providing a plurality of perforated pipes 4, one end of the first feed pipe 5 is branched into a plurality of pipes,
Each branch end is opened inside each porous cylinder 4.

The other end of the second feed pipe 7 connected to the discharge port of the liquid feed pump 6 is branched into a plurality of pipes, and each branch end is connected to
A portion near the outer periphery of the cover plate 3 is made to communicate with the outer portion of the perforated cylinder 4, so that the liquid sent out from the liquid pump 6 is transferred between the inner circumferential surface of the outer cylinder and the outer circumferential surface of the perforated cylinder 4. It can be fed as evenly as possible into the cylindrical space.

Further, a gas-liquid mixer 8 such as a two-fluid nozzle is provided in the middle of the second feed pipe 7 in order to feed gas into the culture solution flowing inside the second feed pipe 7.

Reference numeral 9 denotes an exhaust pipe provided at the center of the cover plate 3 to exhaust the excess of the gas sent into the outer cylinder 1.

(Function) When culturing microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria, cultured plant cells, plant organs, plant bodies, etc. using the culture apparatus of the present invention configured as described above,
Into the cylindrical space between the inner circumferential surface of the outer cylinder 1 and the outer circumferential surface of the porous cylinder 4, granular gel with immobilized microorganisms to be cultured or cultured plant cells are placed together with the culture solution, and the liquid is fed. Operate pump 6.

By operating the liquid feed pump 6, the culture solution present inside the porous tube 4 is discharged through the first feed tube 5, and the pressure inside the porous tube 4 becomes lower than the pressure outside.

Due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the porous cylinder 4,
The culture solution existing outside this porous tube 4
A flow that tries to flow inside is triggered. The inner diameter of the large number of small holes formed in the porous cylinder 4 is smaller than the particle size (3 to 5 mm) of the large number of granular gels and cultured plant cells that are put into the outer cylinder 1 together with the culture solution, and they flow together with the culture solution. Since the granular gels and the like cannot pass through these small holes, the large number of granular gels and the like are adsorbed onto the outer circumferential surface of the porous cylinder 4.

On the other hand, the culture solution discharged from the discharge port of the liquid pump 6 is sent into the cylindrical space between the inner circumferential surface of the outer tube 1 and the outer circumferential surface of the porous tube 4 through the second feed tube 7. However, during this time, gas is pumped into the culture solution by the gas-liquid mixer 8, and since sufficient gas is always kept dissolved in the culture solution,
As mentioned above, sufficient gas is always supplied to the microorganisms and cultured plant cells fixed on the granular gel attached to the outer peripheral surface of the porous cylinder 4, and continuous cultivation is performed, so that the microorganisms and plant cells in the culture solution are The number of plant culture cells gradually increases.

c. Effects of the invention Since the culture device of the invention is configured and operates as described above, it does not destroy the granular gel or cultured plant cells mixed in the culture solution, and moreover, it does not destroy the granular gel or cultured plant cells mixed in the culture solution. good contact with the
While retaining the effects of the culture device described in the above-mentioned publication, which is said to be able to efficiently culture microorganisms, it is now possible to increase the size of the equipment without any particularly troublesome work, and it can be used on an industrial scale. The role played by the use of biotechnology in this field is significant.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the culture device of the present invention. 1...Outer tube, 2...Bottom plate, 3...Lid plate, 4...
Porous cylinder, 5... First feed pipe, 6... Liquid feed pump, 7... Second feed pipe, 8... Gas-liquid mixer, 9
……Exhaust pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] an outer cylinder whose lower end opening is closed by a bottom plate and whose upper end opening is provided with a lid plate that can be opened and closed; and a porous cylinder provided inside the outer cylinder and which has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder. , a first feed pipe having one end opened inside the porous tube at the center of the bottom plate and the other end connected to the suction port of the liquid feed pump; one end connected to the discharge port of the liquid feed pump; A second feed pipe whose end is connected to the outer part of the porous cylinder at a portion near the outer periphery of the lid plate, and a culture solution provided in the middle of this second feed pipe and flowing inside the second feed pipe. A culture device consisting of a gas-liquid mixer that sends gas.