Abstract
Access to real‐time process information is desirable for consistent and efficient operation of bioprocesses. Near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is known to have potential for providing real‐time information on the quantitative levels of important bioprocess variables. However, given the fact that a typical NIR spectrum encompasses information regarding almost all the constituents of the sample matrix, there are few case studies that have investigated the spectral details for applications in bioprocess quality assessment or qualitative bioprocess monitoring. Such information would be invaluable in providing operator‐level assistance on the progress of a bioprocess in industrial‐scale productions. We investigated this aspect and report the results of our investigation. Near‐infrared spectral information derived from scanning unprocessed culture fluid (broth) samples from a complex antibiotic production process was assessed for a data set that incorporated bioprocess variations. Principal component analysis was applied to the spectral data and the loadings and scores of the principal components studied. Changes in the spectral information that corresponded to variations in the bioprocess could be deciphered. Despite the complexity of the matrix, near‐infrared spectra of the culture broth are shown to have valuable information that can be deconvoluted with the help of factor analysis techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA). Although complex to interpret, the loadings and score plots are shown to offer potential in process diagnosis that could be of value in the rapid assessment of process quality, and in data assessment prior to quantitative model development. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 74: 376–388, 2001.