iCULTURE project announces the publication of a new peer-reviewed scientific article in the “Journal of Process Control”. Titled “Model predictive control with supervisory substrate targeting for multi-setpoint biomass control in continuous bioprocesses”, the study, led by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), presents an advanced control strategy that enables precise and autonomous regulation of microbial growth during continuous fermentation.
Using Corynebacterium glutamicum as a model organism, the researchers show that bacterial growth can be maintained at specific target levels and smoothly shifted between different targets within the same experiment. By applying model predictive control, the system anticipates how the culture will evolve and adjusts nutrient feeding in real time. A more advanced configuration can also dilute the culture if bacterial growth exceeds the target, further improving accuracy and reducing overshoot.
The results demonstrate how fermentation processes can move beyond manual adjustments and trial-and-error approaches towards intelligent, self-adjusting control. This leads to increased stability, flexibility and reliability, which are essential for modern industrial bioprocessing. Overall, the study shows that predictive, model-based control can reduce variability, limit manual intervention and support more robust and adaptable fermentation strategies.
These findings strongly support the objectives of the iCULTURE project, in which fermentation is used to convert sugars derived from seaweed into valuable bio-based products. Achieving this efficiently requires microorganisms to grow in a controlled and predictable way. By demonstrating how microbial growth can be precisely managed, this publication contributes to iCULTURE’s goal of developing smarter, more flexible and more sustainable marine bioprocesses.