Magnetic Induction Spectroscopy for Biomass Measurement: A Feasibility Study.
BACKGROUND
Biomass measurement and monitoring is a challenge in a number of biotechnology processes where fast, inexpensive, and non-contact measurement techniques would be of great benefit. Magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) is a novel non-destructive and contactless impedance measurement technique with many potential industrial and biomedical applications. The aim of this paper is to use computer modeling and experimental measurements to prove the suitability of the MIS system developed at the University of South Wales for controlled biomass measurements.


METHODS
The paper reports experimental measurements conducted on saline solutions and yeast suspensions at different concentrations to test the detection performance of the MIS system. The commercial electromagnetic simulation software CST was used to simulate the measurement outcomes with saline solutions and compare them with those of the actual measurements. We adopted two different ways for yeast suspension preparation to assess the system's sensitivity and accuracy.


RESULTS
For saline solutions, the simulation results agree well with the measurement results, and the MIS system was able to distinguish saline solutions at different concentrations even in the small range of 0-1.6 g/L. For yeast suspensions, regardless of the preparation method, the MIS system can reliably distinguish yeast suspensions with lower concentrations 0-20 g/L. The conductivity spectrum of yeast suspensions present excellent separability between different concentrations and dielectric dispersion property at concentrations higher than 100 g/L.


CONCLUSIONS
The South Wales MIS system can achieve controlled yeast measurements with high sensitivity and stability, and it shows promising potential applications, with further development, for cell biology research where contactless monitoring of cellular density is of relevance.
['Zhang|Ziyi|Z|', 'Roula|Mohammed Ali|MA|0000-0002-6832-9115', 'Dinsdale|Richard|R|']
D018533:Biomass D001709:Biotechnology D002452:Cell Count D003198:Computer Simulation D058266:Dielectric Spectroscopy D004574:Electromagnetic Fields D000077330:Saline Solution D015003:Yeasts
biomass magnetic induction spectroscopy (MIS) conductivity bio-impedance phase perturbation