Fish-tail bioagitator for efficient culture stirring without cutting edges in laboratory fermenters and bioreactors

New softest agitation – the “Fish-Tail”

A special "fish-tail" stirring disc based on the principle of the tail of a fish has been developed. The up and down movement of one or more "fish-tail" stirring discs provides gentle mixing both in horizontal and vertical direction. At the same time this type of stirring is more efficient and it eliminates cutting edges and micro-eddies formed by all common impellers used in bioreactors. As a consequence, the cell viability is increased.

In analogy to a fish tail, this shape of the stirring disc produces a long range movement of the liquid (culture medium). No other stirrer type provides a similar positive combination of advantages for the agitation in cell cultures.

Bio-mimicking-agitation-without-cutting-edges-for-laboratory-fermenter-bioreactor-system

MINIFOR fermenter-bioreactor fish-tail agitation principle

Gentle yet efficient mixing

The agitation of cell cultures is problematic because the large mechanically sensitive eukaryotic cells can be destroyed by the cutting edges of any stirrer. And even completely round stirrers create eddies on their back side! Thus, the question arises: What is better?

1) either increase stirring speed and get good medium oxygenation and gas exchange and partially destroy cells or
2) to protect cells and work under suboptimal gas exchange in medium?

Nature has invented the right solution long before mankind appeared on earth! It is the shape of the fish tail, which has a perfect design which completely eliminates eddies (turbulences) in order to maximize the propulsion of the fish in water. When, in contrary, the fish tail is fixed then water will stream away with maximal efficiency.

It is clear that the very thin and soft rim of a fish tail has no cutting edge which would break cells. By mimicking the fish tail, LAMBDA created a new mixing disc, where high efficiency of stirring is provided without the destructive mechanical damaging and cutting of living cells. Thus, with the “Fish-Tail” stirring disks cell cultures with sensitive cells can be well aerated without destroying the cells.

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