Abstract

Advances in genetic engineering have in the past two decades generated a wealth of novel molecules that have redefined the role of microbes in solving environmental, pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural problems. While some products have painstakingly entered the marketplace the difficulties of doing so and complying with federal mandates of "safety, purity, potency, effectiveness and consistency" has shifted focus to the word "engineering” from words like "genetic" and "enzymatic." This transition from the laboratory to production, the basis of Bioprocess engineering, involves a careful understanding of the conditions most favored for optimal microbial production and the duplication of these conditions during scaled-up production.

© 1995 Optical Society of America