Whether it's fermented foods like steamed bread and soy sauce in our daily lives or many fermented pharmaceuticals in the healthcare industry, fermentation is essential. Fermentation is the process by which microorganisms are prepared through their life activities under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
Why does a lot of foam form during fermentation?
During fermentation, aeration, agitation, carbon dioxide produced by bacterial metabolism, and colloidal substances such as proteins in the culture medium cause foam to form in the culture medium.
Foam is generated by gas-liquid contact. The aeration process, accompanied by agitation, breaks air into tiny bubbles, and gas is also generated from within the liquid.
The culture medium is nutrient-rich and has high viscosity, which can lead to frequent and persistent foam.
This is related to the sterilization process: the more intensive the sterilization, the more foam will be present in the fermentation broth.
What are the consequences of not promptly eliminating excessive foam during fermentation?
Foaming can reduce production capacity. In fermentation tanks, the filling volume must be reduced to contain the foam and prevent overflow.
If the fermentation equipment is not large enough to accommodate the foam, bubbles can cause raw material loss, resulting in waste.
Microorganisms float with the foam and adhere to the tank walls, changing their growth environment, affecting the effectiveness of the microbial population and increasing heterogeneity.
Increased foam can cause liquid escape, allowing bacteria to grow into the fermentation tank, causing contamination and contamination.
Polyether fermentation defoamers can be used to eliminate excessive foam during fermentation. These defoamers reduce the surface tension of fermentation foam, achieving rapid defoaming and long-term foam suppression. They effectively eliminate all types of foam, both large and small, generated during fermentation. During the spreading process, defoamer molecules carry away some of the solution near the surface, thinning the foam film and reducing its stability, making it more susceptible to disruption.
