Bioprocess Innovation Suite
The Bioprocess Innovation Suite at the Teagasc Food Research Centre Moorepark is a dedicated hub for bioprocess development, optimisation, and scale-up. The suite houses a broad range of bioreactors, including systems with automated liquid handling and sampling, alongside an adjoining microbiology preparation laboratory.
Bioprocessing involves leveraging living organisms to generate valuable products. These processes hold the potential to convert low-value materials, including food and waste streams, into high-value goods with enhanced functional attributes, prolonged shelf life, and heightened safety standards. The development of the Bioprocess Innovation Suite, combined with Teagasc’s food science expertise and the pilot-scale capabilities at Moorepark Technology Ltd., strengthens Teagasc’s Cultures, Fermentation and Biotransformation research platform.
The platform includes a state-of-the-art laboratory equipped with bioreactors ranging from 0.8 mL to 270 L. Standardised control units and consistent design across all reactor scales ensure smooth scale-up, efficient operation, and reliable consistency in process parameters. All systems support real-time monitoring of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, agitation and CO2.
At small scale, micro-bioreactors enable high-throughput screening and media optimisation, powered by an integrated automated microfluidics system. Up to 48 fermentations can run simultaneously, significantly increasing throughput. Robotics manage sampling, dosing and media preparation, improving efficiency and ensuring reproducibility across experiments.
In addition, the system supports precise, configurable measurements of biomass, pH, dissolved oxygen and other key metabolites. These capabilities accelerate bioprocess development and provide researchers with highly detailed control over experimental conditions and data generation.
Upcoming projects: Pilot Scale Food-Based Fermentation