US 12,291,705 B2
Method for stimulating the growth of a biomass, contained in a liquid, inside a bioreactor
Volker Kirchhoff, Dresden (DE); André Weidauer, Dresden (DE); Jessy Schönfelder, Dresden (DE); Gaby Gotzmann, Dresden (DE); Christiane Wetzel, Dresden (DE); and Jörg Kubusch, Dresden (DE)
Assigned to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 17/282,513
Filed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 25, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/075929
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 2, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/069944, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2018 124 666.8 (DE), filed on Oct. 5, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0380964 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. C12N 13/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/06 (2006.01); C12M 1/42 (2006.01)
CPC C12N 13/00 (2013.01) [C12M 21/02 (2013.01); C12M 23/22 (2013.01); C12M 27/02 (2013.01); C12M 29/18 (2013.01); C12M 29/26 (2013.01); C12M 35/02 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
 
1. A method for stimulating growth of a biomass, the method comprising:
exposing a first partial volume of a liquid located in a bioreactor to an ionizing radiation, the first partial volume comprising at most 10% of the liquid volume in the bioreactor, wherein said liquid comprises a biomass contained in the liquid, the biomass comprising a microorganism, animal cell, and/or plant cell;
mixing the first partial liquid volume, which has been exposed to the ionizing radiation, with a second partial liquid volume, which has not been exposed to ionizing radiation, in the bioreactor; and
repeating the exposing of the first partial liquid volume to ionizing radiation and the mixing of the first partial liquid volume with the second partial liquid volume, the total liquid volume of the bioreactor, and/or the total contents therein, being exposed to a total radiation dose of at most 50 Gy on statistical average, sufficient to stimulate growth of the biomass.