Liquid Dosage
E.Coli
From oral vaccines to immune-modulators and offering a broad range of applications in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research, development and analysis, bacterial lysates are widely used in the life science industries. Different methods can be used to prepare cell lysates from Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells, for example, including sonication, homogenization, enzymatic lysis and freezing/grinding.
Homogenizers, however, are the most commonly used devices to lyse large quantities of bacteria. A cell suspension is pumped through the minute orifice of a homogenizing valve at high pressure; this is followed by the sudden release of the pressure on the suspension, resulting in an instant expansion that provides the turbulence and liquid shear — combined with the high pressure — that breaks the cells.
The main disruptive factor in this process is the pressure applied to the sample and the subsequent pressure drop across the valve. This provides the impact and the shear stress, making the cells break in proportion to the operating pressure.
Compared with other methods, homogenization is both convenient and efficient, offering higher percentage cell disruption rates. Modern GEA homogenizers are able to work continuously, enabling large quantities of cells to be processed at high operational pressures, which eliminates the need to add deoxyribonuclease (DNase) to the cell suspension.
Suggested pressures for typical applications are 600–1000 bar with a single stage homogenizer; multiple passes (2–3) are generally required to achieve adequate lysis. It should be noted that high processing pressures result in a rise in operating temperatures. Cells should, therefore, be cooled (4 °C) prior to use to avoid inactivating proteins by foaming.
Fermenters, separators, decanters and cross-flow filtration technology for the gentle treatment of fragile cell cultures are also available from GEA. We understand that the careful treatment of living micro-organisms, sterility and efficiency are prerequisites to economical, reliable and efficient processing.
Products & Technologies
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Aseptic valves & components
Aseptic valves face exceptionally high demands within UltraClean and Aseptic processes. You can be assured that they all provide highest quality in terms of hygienic design and sustainability.
Centrifugal Separator
GEA separators are designed for liquid-based applications. Using centrifugal force, they are used for separating suspensions consisting of two or more phases of different densities, i.e. they can be used for liquid-liquid separation, for liquid-liquid-solid separation or for liquid-solid separation. They are equally as effective at separating liq...
CIP/SIP Solutions
Innovative CIP concepts of GEA meet comprehensive high standards. Our experts guarantee product safety at every point of the process. Every upgrade is adapted to individual local conditions and customer requirements and leads to noticeable savings.
Homogenizer Compression Block
GEA compression heads are the homogenizer pulsing core since they activate the homogenization process pumping the product at high pressure until it flows inside the homogenizing valve.
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GEA Insights
Beyond the firewall: Securing what matters at GEA
Companies like GEA process and store large amounts of sensitive data. However, security incidents, from ransomware attacks to physical intrusions and industrial espionage, are ever-expanding. GEA’s effective protection of its business partners’ data – as well as its own proprietary information – is evolving into a competitive advantage. We spoke with Iskro Mollov, GEA’s Chief Information Security Officer, about what it takes to protect a global business in a volatile world.
Smart, stylish, circular: polycotton recycling with Circ
Resource-efficient fashion has been a long-sought ambition amid the fashion industry’s considerable contributions to global carbon emissions. The need to close the loop by recycling textile fibers into virgin-like materials is higher than ever but seemed like a distant dream until now: Circ, GEA’s American customer and pioneer in the field of textile recycling, might be rewriting the future of the fashion industry.
New food tipping point
Alternative proteins are promising – yet still expensive to produce. The usual response is that scaling up will solve this issue. But what if the solution was really about getting better, not just bigger? From more efficient, high-yield processes to upcycling waste heat, engineers are reshaping how we grow food.
