Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 28 (2) June 2016, p. 184-190

SIMPLE IMPELLER SYSTEMS FOR MAINTENANCE OF OIL PALM CULTURE AGGREGATES

TARMIZI, A H*; ZAITON, R* and ROSLI, M Y*

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21894/jopr.2016.2802.06
ABSTRACT

Scaling up of liquid culture systems generally involves moving from the use of simple shake flasks to bioreactors or specialised vessels; this is costly. A new innovation called the Two-in-One MPOB Simple Impeller (2-in-1 MoSLIM) was developed using commonly available Schott bottles in the laboratory. This system provided simultaneous aeration and agitation (two-inone) in a single device for tissue propagation in liquid culture. The 2-in-1 MoSLIM produced cell aggregates with fresh weight increments of two- to six-fold over 30-40 days. This system was a convenient alternative compared to the conventional shake flask system. Multiplication of cultures in the 2-in-1 MoSLIM did not require any shaker or a big space area. This system with a working volume of 300 – 700 ml used a simple impeller and a pump for agitation and aeration purposes. However, with the 2-in-1 MoSLIM, media replenishment remained a tedious task. To overcome this, modifications were made to the system to enable media replenishment on-site without the need of a sterile hood. The adaptation of 2-in-1 MoSLIM with an earlier innovation, Fast Transfer Technique (MoFaTT) in Liquid Culture System, resulted in the development of the Simple Impeller with Fast Transfer Technique (SLIM-FaTT) system. This new system can be applied to the liquid culture system of any crop with a potential towards automation.

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* Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 6 Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. E-mail: mizi@mpob.gov.my