Upscaling, How???

After proving that kefir grains can in fact be used to produce a cultured product through home brewing (further proven as part of my thesis through testing in microbiology lab that microbes are present and that they are probiotics....good to know that we're not just selling a placebo!), we then had to look into upscaling the process. Researching other kefir products such as kefir milk products which is popular in eastern European countries and is beginning to grow in some states in the United States as well as New Zealand did not yield any information on how they achieve milk kefir production on a large scale so we decided to develop the process ourselves.

After getting good information about bioreactors from our lecture with Barry we sat down and discussed how we should go about upscaling the process. This is where we reached a critical junction, we had split views on what sort of material we should use to carry out our bioprocess and how it should be carried out. I was an advocate for using glass jars like in the home fermentation but on a larger scale with numerous jars fermenting at once, whereas Shane was adamant that a full scale metallic bioreactor like the ones he used on work experience was needed.  I didn't agree with it as I felt the metal in the bioreactor would damage the kefir grains.After much debate it was decided that we should take time to analyse the situation as it is probably the most important aspect of our whole module and go look up the pros and cons of each material and meet back up and decide then which route to take once we are more informed.

So there we were at the cross roads of which way to go to implement our product, we had gathered information on the benefits and faults of each possible material when it dawned on us, why do we have to only chose one? Why not compromise and get the best of both worlds? The Kefir grains are affected by the metal in the bioreactor but not the product, so why not design an innovative way in which we can ferment using glass and process the product through the metal bioreactor. So we agreed that the best course of action was to utilize both materials in our bioprocess.

This for me was a significant experience in the development of the bioprocess because if we hadn't of disagreed with each other we would not of critically analysed all aspects of each option, with the resulting compromise of utilizing both yielding a superior solution. I have learned that disagreements are not always negative as it required us to use problem solving skills and required us to use problem solving skills which will be beneficial in life and the food industry. Initially I felt that there was no way to incorporate the steel reactor into the process without damaging the kefir grains, but by discussing of working with each other I know realise it can play a pivital role in our process. I am beginning to warm up to the idea of showing off our innovative bioprocess to the class, it seems less daunting.

Glass vs. Steel Vs. Plastic

	Pros	Cons
Glass:	·          Cheap when bought in bulk ($1per 10L container) ·          Chemically inert ·          Easily cleaned & replaced ·          Simplicity in set up and management ·          Fail safe with numbers, if one fermentation jar fails whole batch is not ruined ·          Transparent ·          Eco Friendly	·          Heavy & fragile ·          Not Automated, needs to be manually monitored and handled ·          Difficult to extract product and transfer into vessel for sale distribution ·          Too expensive to design large customised container, numerous small  containers would be more practical
Steel:	·          Robust ·          Versatile ·          Large Scale ·          Automated ·          Homogenisation ·          Flavourings and additives can easily be added into product ·          Auxiliaries for monitoring ·          Can be bought second hand	·          More expensive than other containers ·          If something goes wrong the whole batch is lost ·          Metal interacts with the kefir grains hindering productivity (Stainless steel can be used safely but still affects productivity) ·          Requires constant maintenance (Maintenance costs)
Plastic:	·          Cheap ·          Durable ·          Relatively easy to clean ·          Lightweight ·          Transparent	·          Not chemically inert , interacts with kefir grains ·          Can develop scratches which make it more difficult to sanitize and clean ·          Need replacing over time