Biomedical subjects

Pavel Dostálek

Publications and source records attributed to Pavel Dostálek.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Continuous immobilized yeast reactor system for complete beer fermentation using spent grains and corncobs as carrier materials.

Despite extensive research carried out in the last few decades, continuous beer fermentation has not yet managed to outperform the traditional batch technology. An industrial breakthrough in favour of continuous brewing using immobilized yeast could be expected only on achievement of the following process characteristics: simple design, low investment costs, flexible operation, effective process control and good product quality. The application of cheap carrier materials of by-product origin could significantly lower the investment costs of continuous fermentation systems. This work deals with a complete continuous beer fermentation system consisting of a main fermentation reactor (gas-lift) and a maturation reactor (packed-bed) containing yeast immobilized on spent grains and corncobs, respectively. The suitability of cheap carrier materials for long-term continuous brewing was proved. It was found that by fine tuning of process parameters (residence time, aeration) it was possible to adjust the flavour profile of the final product. Consumers considered the continuously fermented beer to be of a regular quality. Analytical and sensorial profiles of both continuously and batch fermented beers were compared.

Beer↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Growth model and metabolic activity of brewing yeast biofilm on the surface of spent grains: a biocatalyst for continuous beer fermentation.

In the continuous systems, such as continuous beer fermentation, immobilized cells are kept inside the bioreactor for long periods of time. Thus an important factor in the design and performance of the immobilized yeast reactor is immobilized cell viability and physiology. Both the decreasing specific glucose consumption rate (q(im)) and intracellular redox potential of the cells immobilized to spent grains during continuous cultivation in bubble-column reactor implied alterations in cell physiology. It was hypothesized that the changes of the physiological state of the immobilized brewing yeast were due to the aging process to which the immobilized yeast are exposed in the continuous reactor. The amount of an actively growing fraction (X(im)act) of the total immobilized biomass (X(im)) was subsequently estimated at approximately X(im)act = 0.12 g(IB) g(C)(-1) (IB = dry immobilized biomass, C = dry carrier). A mathematical model of the immobilized yeast biofilm growth on the surface of spent grain particles based on cell deposition (cell-to-carrier adhesion and cell-to-cell attachment), immobilized cell growth, and immobilized biomass detachment (cell outgrowth, biofilm abrasion) was formulated. The concept of the active fraction of immobilized biomass (X(im)act) and the maximum attainable biomass load (X(im)max) was included into the model. Since the average biofilm thickness was estimated at ca. 10 microm, the limitation of the diffusion of substrates inside the yeast biofilm could be neglected. The model successfully predicted the dynamics of the immobilized cell growth, maximum biomass load, free cell growth, and glucose consumption under constant hydrodynamic conditions in a bubble-column reactor. Good agreement between model simulations and experimental data was achieved.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Continuous beer fermentation using immobilized yeast cell bioreactor systems.

Traditional beer fermentation and maturation processes use open fermentation and lager tanks. Although these vessels had previously been considered indispensable, during the past decades they were in many breweries replaced by large production units (cylindroconical tanks). These have proved to be successful, both providing operating advantages and ensuring the quality of the final beer. Another promising contemporary technology, namely, continuous beer fermentation using immobilized brewing yeast, by contrast, has found only a limited number of industrial applications. Continuous fermentation systems based on immobilized cell technology, albeit initially successful, were condemned to failure for several reasons. These include engineering problems (excess biomass and problems with CO(2) removal, optimization of operating conditions, clogging and channeling of the reactor), unbalanced beer flavor (altered cell physiology, cell aging), and unrealized cost advantages (carrier price, complex and unstable operation). However, recent development in reactor design and understanding of immobilized cell physiology, together with application of novel carrier materials, could provide a new stimulus to both research and application of this promising technology.

Beer↗