Ultrasonic Intensification for Enhanced Microbial Production of Erythromycin

ABSTRACT Process intensification is essential for developing sustainable, efficient, and cost‐effective processes in chemical and biological industries. Ultrasound, with its energy‐saving, environmentally friendly, and safe characteristics, offers great promise in this regard. Ultrasound induces acoustic cavitation, leading to effects such as acoustic streaming and enhanced mixing, which can improve yields in various bioprocesses. The present study focuses on intensifying the fermentative production of erythromycin (EMC) using low‐frequency ultrasound. Saccharopolyspora erythreae , the only known EMC‐producing microorganism, offers limited nutrient flow due to its clumsy morphology, restricting EMC production. Controlled ultrasound treatment was applied during fermentation to improve the microorganism's morphological traits and enhance EMC yield. Optimized ultrasound (US) parameters were established using the one‐factor‐at‐a‐time (OFAT) methodology as 100 W power, 44 kHz frequency, 20% duty cycle, and 15 min treatment period. Under these conditions, EMC production increased significantly, achieving a 73.47% improvement over non‐sonicated fermentation, with EMC yield rising from 0.49 to 0.85 g/L. The work clearly elucidated the process intensification benefits obtained by using ultrasound and also the need for detailed optimization of the operating conditions.