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Industrial fermentation is a sensitive process, whereby manufacturers leverage the sugar fermenting capabilities of micro-organisms in order to produce a desired product. These products might include; organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, antibiotics, biopolymers or others.

A loss of sterility during industrial fermentation may have severe consequences to production. The introduction of a competitive micro-organism or phage into the industrial fermentation process is a major cause of process failure, resulting in partial or complete batch losses. Consequentially, contamination has a knock-on effect to costs, production schedules and product quality.

In order to eliminate the possibility of contamination, sterile practices must be implemented into the production process. The use of air is essential for the fermentation process, however, if untreated may present the risk of contamination of airborne bacteria. Sterilization of air prior to use in vessels is therefore essential to maintain complete sterility of the industrial fermentation process and therefore reduce the likelihood of process failure. Sterile air may be achieved by the use of sterile filtration of air prior to entry into the vessel.

Furthermore, the industrial fermentation process may involve the use of genetically modified organisms in order to produce desired product. It is essential, therefore, to prohibit the introduction of these GMOs into the external environment. This may be achieved by the sterile filtration of exhaust gas, avoiding all organisms used during the fermentation process from entering the external environment.