Investigations of reactors for insect cell culture.

The application of a silicone tube system has been tested for aeration by diffusion of insect cell cultures in different types of 10-litre fermenters. Results of a stirred tank reactor fitted with a blade impeller show that the oxygen transfer rate of the aeration system depends on the operation parameters (i.e. aeration gas pressure and agitation speed). Based on variations of these parameters, batch-cultivations of insect cells show a dependency of final cell density in the range between 1-5 X 10(6) cells per ml.