Biomixing: Leading the Innovation in Bioreactor Mixing

Sometimes in life, you just have to find the right angle. Inés Herrero, one of the co-founders of Biomixing, certainly did. She and her team developed an innovative system for stirring and aerating that significantly improves the quality of cell cultures in bioreactors. In this interview, we explore how Inés and her team came up with this breakthrough, the challenges they faced, and what this means for the future of biomanufacturing.

Can you explain the core technology behind Biomixing and how it optimizes bioreactor efficiency?

Using concepts from aeronautics, fluid mechanics and numerical simulations, BioMixing has developed a patented agitation-aeration system (Biomixing Inside) that increases the efficiency of fermenters and bioreactors, which are the basic equipment to produce biological compounds (such as probiotics, fermentation processes, cultured meat or milk, biogas plants, cosmetics etc.). Our devices achieve reduction of processing times (up to 50%); reduction of shear damage, and reduction of energy consumption (up to 40%) when working at the industrial scale.

Our offer includes: whole bioreactors with the Biomixing inside technology or retrofitting other brands' bioreactors by incorporating our Biomixing inside agitation-aeration system.

We also optimize the control system and facilitate the scale-up process.

Please elaborate on the impact of your technology.

Our technology not only optimizes growth culture but it can also make some cultures viable. Effectively, some cultures are difficult to grow because current bioreactors cannot cope with the oxygen transfer demand that some fermentation processes require.

What was your intention and inspiration when you decided to start Biomixing?

We originated as a spinoff from University of Seville (and MIT). It all started 20 years ago, when some biotech companies came to us, as experts in fluid dynamics, because they had problems growing their cultures. We could solve their problems and we realized that we could improve our first prototypes and patent them. That is when we decided to incorporate Biomixing, so even if we are a startup, we have more than 20 years of expertise in the design of bioreactors.  

How long did it take to find your innovation: different geometry, number & position of impellers?

Biomixing Inside, our patented agitation/aeration system is the result of 20 years of experience in the design of bioreactors, so even if we are a startup, we have more than 20 years of expertise in the design of bioreactors.  

With the recent investment from Austral VC members, what are BioMixing's plans for further advancing its technology and expanding its impact in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors?

After successfully retrofitting different brands of bioreactors for our clients, we are currently negotiating with 6 international bioreactor manufacturers interested in incorporating our devices in their equipment. We hope to advance in that business line but we are also interested in offering customization designs for bioreactor users.  

You take part in the Desfia FoodTech Germany program. Why is the German market interesting for your FoodTech startup? Which companies on the German market are of most interest to you?

We are interested in both, bioreactor users and bioreactor manufacturers. In particular those interested in improving the productivity of bioreactors in terms of oxygen demand, reducing shear or reducing energy consumption.

Join us at Taste of Tomorrow event

The Desafía FoodTech Germany program is an initiative facilitated by ICEX Spain and RootCamp. On September 11th we will host an event "Taste of Tomorrow: FoodtTech Innovation from Spain to Germany in Hannover, where you will have a chance to meet all the startups participating in the program. Register here.