Modelling of Biotechnological Processes – An Approach Based on Artificial Neural Networks

In this chapter we describe a software tool for modelling fermentation processes, the FerMoANN, which allows researchers in biology and biotechnology areas to access the potential of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for this task. The FerMoANN is tested and validated using two fermentation processes, an Escherichia coli recombinant protein production and the production of a secreted protein with Saccharomyces cerevisiae in fed-batch reactors. The application to these two case studies, tested for different configurations of feedforward ANNs, illustrate the usefulness of these structures, when trained according to a supervised learning paradigm.