The first biotechnology process was the brewing of alcohol using yeast. Nowadays, biological or biotech processes are used to produce a very wide range of industrial and consumer products, including such diverse products as filamentous bacteria and Nocardia, enzymes, yeast, biofuel, polymers, amino acids and proteins, for example like Quorn. These are all produced in a bioreactor - a controlled environment in which liquids are agitated, and gas added. A problem associated with this is that it frequently makes foam, which can destroy the process if it gets out of control.
Dosing defoaming chemicals automatically in bulk is both wasteful and prohibitively expensive. The best approach to managing foam in a bioreactor is to measure it. This can be achieved using a foam sensor fitted in the head plate, programmed to add just enough defoamer only when it is required. The Hycontrol foam sensors were originally designed for just this.
Hycontrol produces a wide range of foam controls which are suitable for all kinds of biotech processes. There is a wide range of available fittings to suit all makes of vessels. Hycontrol foam sensors are hygienic, steam sterilisable and suitable for CIP. The sensors are designed with fouling immunity to prevent false alarms and overdosing.
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