Identification of informative metabolic responses using a minibioreactor: a small step change in the glucose supply rate creates a large metabolic response in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In this study, a previously developed mini-bioreactor, the Biocurve, was used to identify an informative stimulus-response experiment. The identified stimulus-response experiment was a modest 50% shift-up in glucose uptake rate (qGLC) that unexpectedly resulted in a disproportionate transient metabolic response. The 50% shift-up in qGLC in the Biocurve resulted in a near tripling of the online measured oxygen uptake (qO2) and carbon dioxide production (qCO2) rates, suggesting a considerable mobilization of glycogen and trehalose.