2L bench → 100–500L pilot
The first scale transition is where 30–60% of fermentation batches underperform. kLa drops 3–10×, substrate gradients appear for the first time, and your feed rate parameters transfer poorly. Fermvyne identifies these gaps before you spend a pilot run finding out.
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What actually changes at 100L.
The volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa) at 100L with a standard Rushton turbine is typically 3–10× lower than at 2L bench scale, unless specific agitation and sparging adjustments are made. Your bench protocol's agitation rate does not transfer directly.
At 100L, the time to achieve >95% mixing homogeneity increases to 2–4 minutes vs under 30 seconds at 2L. For fed-batch glucose control, this means local substrate gradients near the feed inlet that can trigger overflow metabolism before bulk-phase glucose sensors detect the issue.
Without corrected feed rate and agitation setpoints, many teams observe 30–60% titer loss at their first pilot run — not because the biology changed, but because the physical environment changed and the process parameters were not updated to compensate.
What you get from a bench-to-pilot simulation job.
kLa estimate at target pilot geometry
Input your pilot vessel dimensions (D/T ratio, impeller type, impeller diameter, working volume) and target operating conditions (agitation rate, VVM, back-pressure). Fermvyne outputs the predicted kLa and the minimum agitation rate required to match your bench-scale OTR demand at peak growth phase.
Feed rate ceiling and overflow risk map
Using your bench-scale flux phenotype, Fermvyne calculates the maximum specific glucose uptake rate before overflow onset at each OD600 setpoint. The output is a feed rate ceiling curve, not a single number — it accounts for the fact that overflow risk increases as culture density grows and respiratory capacity per cell declines.
DO% predicted profile and depletion risk window
A time-series prediction of DO% throughout the fed-batch, based on predicted OUR and your vessel's kLa at each agitation cascade setpoint. The output highlights the DO risk window — the hours when DO is most likely to fall below your setpoint — and suggests the agitation ramp parameters needed to maintain the setpoint through that window.
Corrected pilot protocol (JSON export)
All output parameters — feed rate schedule, agitation cascade, sparging setpoints, DO maintenance setpoint — are bundled as a structured JSON export compatible with common DCS platforms. The export includes confidence intervals on key predictions based on your bench run data quality.
Validated for the organisms alt-protein teams use most.
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Escherichia coli (recombinant protein, precision-fermented ingredients)Full aerobic fed-batch support including acetate overflow pathway, recombinant protein inclusion body prediction, and temperature-shift induction modeling.
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Pichia pastoris / Komagataella phaffiiMethanol induction phase modeling with oxygen demand calculation and DO depletion risk during induction transitions.
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Saccharomyces cerevisiaeCrabtree effect overflow modeling, ethanol accumulation prediction, glucose pulse tolerance during fed-batch.
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Fusarium venenatum (mycoprotein)Fumarate/malate accumulation risk modeling under DO limitation, fiber morphology prediction proxy via specific growth rate profile.
Other organisms
Fermvyne's FBA engine can be configured for any aerobic organism with a characterized metabolic network. If you're working with B. subtilis, C. glutamicum, filamentous fungi, or a chassis outside the validated list, contact us to discuss your requirements. We can often support unlisted organisms within the current platform infrastructure.
Contact Our Science TeamRun your bench-to-pilot prediction.
Upload your bench run data and pilot vessel specs. Fermvyne returns a corrected protocol within two hours. Most early access users run their first simulation the day they sign up.