bioreactor

[ bahy-oh-ree-ak-ter ]

noun

1. Biotechnology. a fermentation vat for the production of living organisms, as bacteria or yeast, used in industrial processes such as waste recycling or in the manufacture of drugs or other products.

bioreactor

/ bī′ō-rē-ăk′tər /

1. An apparatus, such as a large fermentation chamber, for growing organisms such as bacteria or yeast under controlled conditions. Bioreactors are used in the biotechnological production of substances such as pharmaceuticals, antibodies, or vaccines, or for the bioconversion of organic waste.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bioreactor¹

First recorded in 1970–75; bio- + reactor

Example Sentences

Greenhouses, if needed, are still far more economical than stainless steel bioreactors.

From Singularity Hub 

Using genetic engineering and synthetic biology, scientists can introduce brand new biochemical pathways into plant cells—or even whole plants—essentially turning them into single-use bioreactors.

From Singularity Hub 

Already, a scarcity of bioreactor bags for fermenting vaccine and specialized lipids needed for mRNA vaccines have been cited as bottlenecks.

From Washington Post

Facilities for doing this at scale have to be very, very clean so no other microorganisms can infect the bioreactors.

From Popular-Science

In fact, you can make about 1 million doses in a bioreactor the size of a Coke bottle.

From Vox