Bioreactors - Types and Use - Unsolved Practice Set
Chapter: Biotechnology Principles and Processes | Topic: Bioreactors Types and Use
BIOREACTORS - TYPES AND USE - UNSOLVED PRACTICE SET
Topic: Bioreactors Types and Use
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. A bioreactor is best described as a vessel used to:
- Store finished chemical products
- Carry out biological processes on a large scale, using living cells or enzymes to produce a desired product
- Only mix chemicals without any biological involvement
- Filter drinking water
Q2. A commonly used type of bioreactor, featuring a mechanical stirrer to ensure proper mixing and oxygen availability, is called a:
- Sparged bioreactor
- Stirred-tank bioreactor
- Static flask
- Petri dish
Q3. Maintaining optimum conditions such as temperature, pH, and oxygen supply within a bioreactor is important mainly because it helps:
- Reduce the growth of the desired organism
- Maximise the yield of the desired product by supporting optimal growth and metabolic activity of the cultured cells
- Increase contamination risk
- Have no effect on production
Q4. Scaling up a biotechnological process from a small laboratory flask to a large industrial bioreactor is important because it allows for:
- Smaller-scale, less efficient production
- Large-scale, commercially viable production of the desired product
- The complete elimination of the need for sterile conditions
- No change in production capacity
Q5. In a stirred-tank bioreactor, the agitator system primarily helps to:
- Prevent any mixing of the culture
- Ensure uniform mixing and oxygen distribution throughout the culture
- Increase contamination risk
- Reduce nutrient availability
Short Answer Questions
Q6. Define a bioreactor, and explain its general purpose in biotechnology.
Q7. Describe the basic structure of a stirred-tank bioreactor, mentioning at least two of its key components.
Q8. Why is it important to carefully control conditions such as temperature and pH inside a bioreactor?
Q9. Why is "scale-up" from laboratory-scale to industrial-scale production an important consideration in biotechnology?
Long Answer Questions
Q10. Describe the structure and function of a stirred-tank bioreactor, explaining how it supports the large-scale growth of cells for producing a desired biotechnological product.
Q11. Discuss the importance of bioreactors in the biotechnology industry, explaining the challenges involved in scaling up a process from a small laboratory setup to a large commercial bioreactor.
APPLICATION / ANALYSIS
Q12. A biotechnology company successfully produces a small amount of a valuable protein in laboratory flasks, but now wants to manufacture the same protein on a much larger, commercial scale. Explain how transitioning to a large industrial bioreactor could help achieve this goal, and mention one key factor the company would need to carefully control during this scale-up.
Q13. During large-scale fermentation in a bioreactor, excessive foam formation begins to interfere with proper mixing and monitoring of the culture. Explain why controlling foam formation is an important consideration in bioreactor design and operation.