JPH0240316B2 - BAIYOSOCHI - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stir granular gel in a culture fluid without breaking, by providing a bubbling nozzle for bubbling air into a liquid stored on the inside of a glass cylinder in the inside part of a cylinder constituting a rectifier plate above rotating centrifugal blades. CONSTITUTION:A culture fluid and microorganisms are charged into the inside of a glass cylinder 1 and air, etc., is bubbled from a bubbling nozzle 19. Centrifugal blades 18 are rotated by a motor 14. A flow directing from a part toward the center to the outside is produced along the bottom surface of a circular plate 23 constituting a rectifier plate 25 to reduce the pressure on the inside of a supporting frame 26 communicating to the inside of a cylinder 24 below that of the outside thereof. A gas is fed from the bubbling nozzle 19 into the culture fluid flowing while passing through the supporting frame 26 adsorbing the granular gel on the outer peripheral surface thereof and sufficient gas is always fed to the microorganisms immobilized on the granular gel adhered to the supporting frame 26.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] a. Purpose of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The culturing device according to the present invention can be used for culturing microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria.

(Background of the Invention) With the development of biotechnology, the cultivation of various microorganisms, plant cells, and plant bodies has become widely practiced, and in conjunction with this, various new cultivation methods have been considered. For example, when implementing the method invented by the present inventors for producing a lactic acid bacteria beverage whose main ingredient is apple juice, or when implementing a method for continuously supplying yeast for cultivating yeast and producing a brewed product. etc., a highly concentrated lactic acid bacteria or yeast bacteria is fixed in a granular gel made of calcium alginate, etc., and a culture solution is placed in an incubator, and air is blown into the culture solution. This culture solution is stirred to culture the lactic acid bacteria or yeast in the 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 air lift effect of air bubbles blown into the culture solution to agitate the culture solution, but the granular gel and the culture solution flow together, making it difficult to control the relative flow rate of the culture solution to each granule 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.

The culture device of the present invention eliminates the above-mentioned disadvantages, and enables good contact between the culture solution and the granular gel without destroying the granular gel mixed in the culture solution.

b. Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving Problems) The culture device of the present invention has a cylindrical glass tube 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. ing.

Inside this glass tube, on the inner peripheral edge of a horizontal circular plate provided almost concentrically with this glass tube,
A current plate is provided with a cylinder that rises upward from this inner peripheral edge.

By fitting the lower end of a support frame made of wire mesh, punched metal, etc. into a cylindrical shape and having a large number of small holes arranged almost concentrically with the glass tube into the cylinder of this current plate. , the support frame is provided almost concentrically with the glass tube.

On the upper side of the bottom plate, a centrifugal blade that is rotationally driven by a motor is provided below the circular plate that forms the current plate, and above the centrifugal blade, the inner part of the cylinder that forms the current plate is installed. , a bubble nozzle is provided for blowing air into the liquid stored inside the glass cylinder.

(Function) When culturing microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria using the culture apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the microorganisms to be cultured together with the culture solution are introduced into the inside of the glass cylinder, and While blowing air (in the case of anaerobic bacteria, a gas that does not contain oxygen, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide) into the culture solution, the centrifugal blades are rotated by a motor.

The rotation of the centrifugal blades causes a flow to flow outward from the center of the glass tube along the lower surface of the circular plate that constitutes the current plate at the bottom of the glass container storing the culture solution. The pressure inside the support frame communicating with the inside of the cylinder that constitutes the current plate is lower than the pressure outside.

By creating a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the support frame, a flow is induced in which the culture solution existing outside the support frame tends to flow into the inside of the support frame. The inner diameter of the large number of small holes formed in the support frame is smaller than the particle size (3 to 5 mm) of the large number of granular gels placed in the glass container together with the culture solution, and each granular gel that tries to flow together with the culture solution cannot pass through these small holes, so many of the granular gels are adsorbed to the outer peripheral surface of the support frame.

Gas is fed into the culture solution flowing through a support frame that has granular gel adsorbed on its outer circumferential surface from a bubble nozzle located inside the cylinder that constitutes the current plate, just above the centrifugal blade. Since sufficient gas is always kept dissolved in the culture solution, the microorganisms fixed on the granular gel attached to the support frame are always supplied with sufficient gas, and continuous cultivation is performed. As a result, the number of microorganisms in the culture solution gradually increases.

(Example) Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail by explaining the illustrated embodiment.

The drawing is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the culture device of the present invention. A disk-shaped bottom plate 2 having an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the glass tube 1 is fixed to the lower end of the cylindrical glass tube 1, thereby closing the lower end opening of the glass tube 1. There is. Lower end portions of a plurality of studs 3, 3 are screwed and fixed to a portion of the bottom plate 2 near the outer periphery that protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface of the glass tube 1, respectively. The upper end of each stud 3, 3 protrudes slightly above the upper edge of the glass tube 1, and this upper end is connected to a disc-shaped lid having an outer diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the glass tube 1. They are inserted into circular holes 5, 5 bored in the outer circumferential portion of the plate 4, respectively. Each stud 3 inserted through the circular hole 5, 5 and protruding from the top surface of the cover plate 4,
A nut (not shown) is screwed onto the upper end of the glass cylinder 1, and an upper end cover plate 4 is attached to the upper end opening of the glass cylinder 1 so as to be openable and closable.

Further, inside the glass tube 1, a rectifier plate 25 is fixed on the inner circumferential edge of a horizontal circular plate 23 provided approximately concentrically with the glass tube, and a rectifying plate 25 is provided with a cylinder 24 rising upward from the inner circumferential edge. It is fixed by 7,7.

The lower end of this straightening plate 25 is fitted with the lower end of a support frame 6 formed into a cylindrical shape with a wire mesh made of braided stainless steel filaments. It is fixed on the inside almost concentrically with this glass tube 1.

On the other hand, a vertical shaft 8 is installed in the center of the upper surface of the bottom plate 2, and a rotating block 9 is attached to this vertical shaft 8.
An inverted cylindrical cap 10 fixed to the center of the cap is rotatably attached to the cap. An annular magnet 11 is fitted and fixed around the rotating block 9, and a motor 1 is fixed via a bracket 13 below the magnet 11 and a base plate 12 to which the bottom plate 2 is fixed.
An annular magnet 16 fixed to the output shaft 15 of 4,
They are opposed to each other with the bottom plate 2 in between.

A plurality of flat blade plates 17, 17 are fixed in the radial direction to the outer periphery of the rotary block 9, which is rotatably supported on the vertical shaft 8 via the cap 10, thereby forming a centrifugal blade 18 in the form of a Sirotskov fan. It consists of

Further, above the centrifugal blade 18, the baffle plate 2
A bubble nozzle 19 for blowing air into the liquid stored inside the glass tube 1 is provided on the inner side of the cylinder 24 constituting the glass tube 1. This bubble nozzle 19 is connected to a lid plate 4 that opens and closes the upper end opening of the glass tube 1.
A nozzle part 22 having a plurality of small holes 21, 21 is fixed to the lower end of the air pipe 20, which is fixed in the center of the air pipe 20 while passing through the cover plate 4.
The compressed gas sent through the centrifugal blade 18 is ejected directly above the centrifugal blade 18.

Although illustration and detailed explanation are omitted, the cover plate 4
In addition to the air supply pipe 20, there are provided a sensor for detecting the state of the culture solution in the glass container 1, a tube for sending nutrients into the culture solution, and the like.

When culturing microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria using the culture apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, first, a granular gel on which microorganisms to be cultured are immobilized is placed inside the glass tube 1 along with a culture solution. throw into.

When the injection is completed, compressed air is sent into the nozzle part 22 that constitutes the bubble nozzle 19 through the air supply pipe 20, and the small holes 21 and 2 of this nozzle part 22 are filled with compressed air.
The centrifugal blades 18 are rotated by energizing the motor 14 while blowing air into the culture solution stored in the glass container 1.

That is, by energizing the motor 14, the motor 1
When the magnet 16 fixed to the output shaft 15 of the motor 4 is rotated, the magnet 11 facing the magnet 16 via the bottom plate 2 rotates due to the magnetic coupling action, and the magnet 11 is rotated together with the magnet 11 to the rotating block 9. A centrifugal blade 18 made up of a plurality of fixed vanes 17 rotates about a vertical axis 8 below a circular plate 23 that constitutes a baffle plate 25 .

The rotation of the centrifugal blades 18 as the motor 14 is energized causes a flow to flow from the center of the glass container toward the outside along the lower surface of the circular plate 23 at the bottom of the glass container 1 storing the culture solution. As a result, the pressure inside the support frame 6, which communicates with the inside of the cylinder 24 constituting the current plate 25, becomes lower than the pressure outside.

In this way, as the centrifugal blade 18 rotates, the support frame 6
When a pressure difference occurs between the inside and outside of the glass container 1, a flow is induced in which the culture solution existing outside the support frame 6 tries to flow into the inside of the support frame 6, and the culture solution in the glass container 1 flows inside the support frame 6. flows down and circulates inside the glass tube 1 while rising in the cylindrical space between the outer peripheral surface of the support frame 6 and the inner peripheral surface of the glass tube 1, but the support frame existing in the middle of this flow The large number of small holes (mesh) formed in 6 are smaller than the particle size (3 to 5 mm) of the large number of granular gels put into the glass container 1 together with the culture solution, and each granule that tries to flow with the culture solution The gel cannot pass through these small holes and remains attached to the outer peripheral surface of the support frame 6, and only the culture solution flows while passing through the support frame 6.

Support frame 6 with granular gel attached to the outer peripheral surface in this way
Air is fed into the culture solution flowing through the centrifugal blade from a bubble nozzle 19 provided inside the cylinder 24 that constitutes the current plate, and directly above the centrifugal blade.
Since sufficient air is always kept dissolved in this culture solution, the microorganisms fixed on the granular gel attached to the support frame 6 are always supplied with sufficient air, and continuous culture is performed. As a result, the number of microorganisms in the culture solution gradually increases.

Incidentally, the culturing apparatus of the present invention can be used as is when culturing plant cells or plant bodies.

c. Effects of the Invention Since the culture device of the present invention is constructed and operates as described above, the granular gel mixed in the culture solution is not destroyed, and the culture solution and the granular gel can be brought into good contact. microorganisms and plant cells,
Plants can be cultured efficiently.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one example of a fermenter used in carrying out the present invention. 1: Glass tube, 2: Bottom plate, 3: Stud, 4:
Lid plate, 5: circular hole, 6: support frame, 7: stay, 8:
Vertical axis, 9: Rotating block, 10: Cap, 1
1: Magnet, 12: Substrate, 13: Bracket, 1
4: Motor, 15: Output shaft, 16: Magnet, 17:
Wing plate, 18: Centrifugal wing, 19: Bubble nozzle, 20:
Air supply pipe, 21: small hole, 22: nozzle part, 23: circular plate, 24: cylinder, 25: rectifying plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A glass tube 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 horizontal portion provided inside the glass tube approximately concentrically with the glass tube. a rectifying plate provided with a cylinder rising upward from the inner peripheral edge of the circular plate in the direction; a support frame having a number of small holes whose lower end is fitted and fixed to the cylinder of the rectifying plate; a centrifugal blade provided above the bottom plate and driven to rotate by a motor below the circular plate constituting the rectifier plate around a vertical axis;
A culture device comprising a bubble nozzle provided above the centrifugal blades on the inner side of the cylinder constituting the current plate, and blowing air into the liquid stored inside the glass cylinder. 2. The culture device according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is a wire mesh. 3. The culture device according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is made of punched metal.