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Photobioreactor culture of photosynthetic soybean cells

Growth and Biomass Characteristics

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Abstract

Photosynthetic suspension cultures of higher plants offer an alternative approach to biomass production, potentially yielding cellulosic material and protein on a continuous year-round basis. A bench-top hybrid photobioreactor was developed to study photomixotrophic and photoautotrophic growth of Glycine max as a model system. Maximum biomass doubling times for photomixotrophic and photoautotrophic growth were 1.87 and 3.92 d, respectively. The presence of exogenous sugars resulted in photomixotrophic growth, reduced chlorophyll levels, and a reduction in photosynthetically-evolved oxygen. Depletion of carbohydrates from the medium coincided with the beginning of stationary phase and an increase in oxygen evolution by the cells. A second growth phase, prolonging cell viability, could be initiated by increasing the carbon dioxide from 2 to 5%, just before the onset of stationary phase. Biomass from bioreactor cultured cells proved resistant to enzymatic attack without pretreatment. Composition of the biomass was 7.8% lignin, 20.7% α-cellulose, 23% hemicellulose, 5.5% starch, 14.5% protein and 6.5% nucleic acids.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LipoGen Inc., 10515 Research Drive, 37932, Knoxville, TN

    W. J. Treat

  2. Department of Forest Science and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A & M University System, College Station, 77843-2135, TX

    J. Castillon & E. J. Soltes

Authors
  1. W. J. Treat
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  2. J. Castillon
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  3. E. J. Soltes
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Treat, W.J., Castillon, J. & Soltes, E.J. Photobioreactor culture of photosynthetic soybean cells. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 24, 497–510 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02920273

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