Penicillin fermentation and role of strain improvement on efficiency

Penicillin fermentation and role of strain improvement on efficiency Introduction Penicillin is one of the most vital drugs known to the medical world. Its discovery by Alexander Fleming in late 1920s changed the face of the world by bringing hope in peoples lives as penicillin was effectively used against diseases such as syphilis and staphylococcus infections. Penicillins discovery was an unexpected accident carried out while isolating staphylococcus aureus by growing bacteria on petri dishes. It was discovered that on one of the dishes a contaminating mould named penicillium notatum had no bacteria around it. Fleming noticed this behavior and obtained a small amount of the secreted antimicrobial product and named it penicillin. However Fleming was not able to commercialize the product into starting a large scale production process and preserved the cultured organism. As penicillin became more popular among other researchers, fermentation processes were being developed to improve its yield. [3]. Using these fermentation techniques, researchers started to carry o ut the production of penicillin in labs at a smaller scale. This process required a considerable amount of time and effort. One of the first methods used to produce penicillin came not too soon after its discovery. The first production procedure resulted in penicillin being produced by fermentation using surface method. In this method, penicillium mould was grown on top of a quiescent medium and bottle plant techniques were used to yield penicillin. This was a descent breakthrough in producing the antibiotic drug but it took very long growing cycles of penicillium mould. [3]. The demand for antibiotics really went up during and after the Second World War. At this time penicillin was well known around the world, however its production at larger scale with better efficiency was needed to make it a household name. The challenge of producing penicillin at larger scale was very daunting for researchers and engineers. It was at that time when fermentation research on corn steep liquor at a laboratory in Illinois, USA allowed in producing 2.3 million doses through development of deep tank fermentation [5]. As the demand for penicillin was rising, different ways of obtaining the antibiotic drug increased. Such production methods involved the use of fermenters with buffers and separation funnels, the property of liquid-liquid extraction, distribution ratios and finally the use of a membrane in a countercurrent extraction column. Penicillin Production Procedures Since the discovery of penicillin as an antibiotic drug, there have been many different methods developed to produce penicillin efficiently in order to achieve maximum yield. For instance, the recovery of penicillin using an emulsion liquid membrane in countercurrent extraction column is very successful method yield a highly qualitative product. The use of a countercurrent extraction column requires both a dispersed phase and an aqueous phase. The aqueous phase is made of penicillin potassium salt which is dissolved in a citrate buffer solution while the dispersed phase is made of a mixture of internal aqueous solution; sodium carbonate present in de-ionized water and organic solution, a mixture of a secondary amine, and nonionic polyamine in kerosene [1]. In order to process this method, the continuous phase is first fed through the top of the column at unsteady state, and when the flow of this phase reaches steady state, the dispersed phase is injected through the bottom of the col umn, producing a countercurrent extraction with the help of a nozzle. While the process is extracting, time samples are taken from the top and the bottom to monitor the concentration of penicillin. Once the separation of the continuous phase and dispersed phase occurs with the help of a filtration process, the penicillin that was present in the continuous phase is recovered. The effectiveness of the removal of different types of penicillin can be removed at a greater value at lower pH. This is because at a lower pH the impurities are left behind and can be removed, but at a higher pH, the impurities will remain with the organic phase, and thus will be hard to separate. This is the major reason why the aqueous extract is acidified again, so that we are able to lower the pH and obtain a better amount of penicillin and remove most of the impurities present [4]. Although methods like Emulsion liquid membrane in countercurrent extraction column can be very productive and economically feasible, some other measures are still required to produce penicillin in industry at a larger scale. Industrial Procedure The industrial process of the recovery of penicillin is in fact more complex. It requires the use of a fermenter, a filtration system and 3 buffer units, as shown in figure below. The industrial process uses the same principle of distribution ratio, which determines the measure of purity in the extracted product. The distribution ration is equal to the concentration of a solute phase in an organic phase divided by its concentration in aqueous phase. This principle is effectively used in removing the level of impurities from the final product. In this process, corn-steep liquor, which is a waste product in the wet milling of corn, is entered as the feed. When it enters the fermenter, additional nutrients such as metabolism modifiers and antifoaming agents can also be added. The pH is then adjusted and the contents in the fermenter are seam sterilized. As the temperature reaches a value of about 25oC, the fermenter is inoculated with a pure and high yielding mutant strain of Penicillium [2]. At this point, it comes in contact with sterile air with the help of turbine agitation to provide proper air medium interface and the constant addition of extra nutrients an d antifoaming agents [2]. This whole process is carried out for approximately one week. After the fermentation period, the solution is then sent to a filtration unit where impurities such as mycelium are separated from the aqueous solution that contains penicillin. As the separation takes place, the aqueous solution goes through three extraction units to obtain the final product in solid form. First the solution enters the primary extraction unit where its pH is reduced to a value of two by using sulfuric acid and amyl acetate, these results in penicillin to be extracted. This organic solution is then sent into the secondary extraction unit where it comes into contact with an aqueous buffer solution with a pH of six. This results in the formation of rich penicillin aqueous solution. Finally this solution is sent to the third and final extraction unit. Here the solution is re-acidified and either contacted with the same organic solvent used in primary extraction or with another organ ic solvent such as methyl isobutyl ketone. This second contact with organic solvent is used to prevent the transfer of any soluble impurities [2]. After continuous treatment, the final product of penicillin is recovered in solid form. Conclusion Penicillin is world renown antibiotic, its importance came in the early 1900s were it was used as a healing agent for bacterial infections. Till today its importance plays a vital role in society. Penecillin process is carried out with the help of new ways being developed in the recovery of penicillin. To conclude, it was noted that there are many different ways to recover penicillin using different agents. However, the quality and quantity of the product plays an important role in determining the best fermenting process. Using the principles of distribution ratios recovered penicillin in an almost pure form. While the use of countercurrent extraction column gave a more modernized method, but was not always able to give similar results as the use of distribution ratios. References [1] Lee, Sang C. Contiuous extraction of penicillin by liquid membrane in a countercurrent extraction column. Journal of Membrane Science 124 (1997): 43-51. [2] Baird, Malcolm H. Handbook of Solvent Extraction. New York, NY: Wiley, 1983. [3] Philipe, Dr Calos. Penicillin. First lecture of Chem Eng 3BK3. [4] T. Hano, M. Matsumoto and T. Ohtake, Continuous Extraction of Penicillin G with liquid surfactant membrane using vibro mixer. Journal of Membrane Science 93(1994): 61 [5] [Mary Bellis. The History of Penicillin.Inventors. About.com. Retrieved 2007-10-30.]

Victorian Era Fashion Essay examples -- Fashion

Introduction The Victorian Era is a remarkable time in history with the blooming industries, growing population, and a major turnaround in the fashion world. This era was named after Queen Victoria who ruled United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 1837 until she passed away 64 years later in January 1901.When Victoria received the crown, popular respect was strikingly low. The lack of respect for the position she had just come into did not diminish her confidence. Instead she won the hearts of Britain with her modesty, grace, straightforwardness, and her want to be informed on the political matters at hand even though she had no input. She changed Britain into a flourishing country. She also impacted how women interacted during this era based on her personality. Body In the time period of Queen Victoria's reign the population alone of Britain had grown from 10 million at the start of the 1800's to over 26 million by 1870. The British Empire grew and now held over a quarter of the world's population. When the empire was at its climax, it was the largest in history. The industrial revolution in Britain came with fantastic outcomes, such as huge technological revolutions and production of iron, coal, and cotton cloth increased dramatically. This increase in population and industrialization flooded the cities with peasants looking for jobs. Most of these people were living in poverty and hazardous conditions. This was when the first railway took form, allowing people to spread out and not crowd in the cities. Although people spread out, many still lived in slums and working conditions at the time were atrocious. Around 1833 through 1844 the Factory Act was finalized controlling child labor. Now children could not work... ...ation needed an inspiration, and she filled the position with ease. Works Cited Bernier, Jane, and Ruth E. Adomeit. Women's Fashion of the Victorian Era, 1837-1901. Cleveland Heights, OH: Borrower's, 1983. Print. Strachey, Lytton. Queen Victoria,. New York: Harcourt, Brace and, 1921. Print. "The Life & Times of Queen Victoria." Victorian Station-Victorian Decorating Ideas and Information about the Victorian Era. Victorian Station, 2001. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. . Thomas, Pauline W. "The Victorian EraFashion History." Victorian Era 1837-1901 Victorian Fashion History, Costume Social History. Fashion-Era.com, 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. . "Victoria Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. .

Personal Narrative on Morals

As I was walking down church avenue, all I could think about was my Iphoneless pocket. â€Å"Freaking black people,† I mumbled under my breath as to not let the crowds of black people around me hear, â€Å"you can never trust them. † The sight of them just burned my eyes. Them and their sagged pants that looked like they had 100 pound weights in their pockets, disgusting. As I walked on, the only thing that was roaming around my mind was a memory I was trying so hard to forget. It wasn't a full memory though just, bits and pieces. It was of a black kid.I don't remember any of his features, I didn't want to. â€Å"Hey can I make a call,† he said. I wasn't the type of person to judge anyone, I mean why should a person's skin be a factor in anyone's decision to do something. This teenager could have been the nicest person in the world. So I gave him my phone. The memory then cuts to me standing there gasping for air saying, â€Å" Nicest guy in the world my butt. à ¢â‚¬  That was all I remembered, but it was enough. Enough to drive my anger towards black people, which for me, meant my entire neighborhood.How could I have been such an IDIOT, I said in my head as I walked down the block. I should have seen this coming. I mean he was bla-, I was in mid-thought, when suddenly a black woman, who looked like she could lose a few pounds, bumped into me as she was going the direction opposite of me. â€Å"Watch where you're going,† she said. I could hear the anger and annoyance in her voice. My blood started to boil, my heart raced, I was ready to punch someone. I turned towards her â€Å"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME.Maybe you should lay off the fried chicken † is what I wished to say, but I held my breath. I just stared at her back as she walked away. As I treaded along Church avenue, I spared no black person who came within my line of sight of my racist comments. I didn't care if it was wrong. I mean did that black kid care if it was w rong to steal my phone. Obviously not, because then I wouldn't be walking home phone-less. Did that black lady even bother to care to, oh, I don't know move to the side or say excuse me. NO, she didn't.I mean why shouldn't I judge, I bet black people judge me all the time. I bet that kid who stole my phone had one or two judgments about me. Freaking black people, I said in my head. I finally reached the front of my apartment building. As I entered I noticed this small black kid coming out of the building. When he saw me, he stopped. I recognized him. I didn't know his name, but I knew a thing or two about him. I saw him everyday. Once when I left for school, and once when I came back. Each time I saw him he would say the most random of things about his life.Like how he was in the first grade, or how he thought this one kid named Devon was just the meanest person in the world for throwing a pencil at him. I didn't particularly care much for these facts. Most times he would say someth ing that he thought was funny. Although the things he said weren't funny at all, I went along and smiled anyway. As I looked as this kid, I could find no such fault. You could say he was, in a way, â€Å"stereotypically clean†. â€Å"You know, you look like a person from the wolf people,† he said with a straight face.I don't know if I smiled or not, I may have given a half smile, but I know I replied â€Å"You mean, from Twilight? † â€Å"Yea, from Twilight, the movie about vampires and werewolves. † â€Å"Heh, yea, except I don't have any abs,† I said. This time I knew I was smiling, and I could tell, as he started to smile as well. â€Å"Well, see ya,† he said and walked away. I turned around and watched as he walked down the block and around the corner. That's why Ervin, that's why you shouldn't judge, a voice in my head said. I turned around, walked up the steps to the front door of my building and said, â€Å"yea. †

Socioeconomic Diversity Of Colleges And Universities Essay

In today s world where the population, especially of the United States, is growing gloriously diverse, institutions of higher education must also reflect this aspect in their student body. The purpose of colleges and universities is to provide students with the education and experience they need to succeed after graduating as well as expand their thoughts and perspectives. Thus, they must create and maintain a similar environment in which students will live and work in the future. Although diversity has been emphasized as a priority for many schools, socioeconomic diversity is often disregarded. However, socioeconomic diversity plays an important role in developing the perspectives and minds of students. Thus, it is essential for the admission offices, especially of prestigious universities like the University of Pennsylvania, to recruit and admit more economically disadvantaged students as well as for the schools to meet the needs of and maintain those students. Diversity has been an ongoing topic of discussion in the higher education setting. However, these conversations had always placed focus on race, gender, and religion; socioeconomic status tends to be overlooked (Ma, 2013). Ma (2013) found that discourse about socioeconomic diversity is neglected because many Penn students do not feel comfortable revealing their family’s income or financial aids. Additionally, social class is not as externally apparent as race or gender. Thus, it was pushed aside and ignored inShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action: Prejudice in the College Admissions Process941 Words   |  4 Pagesrace in the college admissions process in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. Since then, affirmative action has become a big issue in the media; however, many people still do not even know what affirmative action is. 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