Kobe University and Shimadzu Corporation have developed the world's first automated metabolome analysis system to automatically process everything from microbial culturing through sample collection and metabolite extraction. The system can continuously process samples, including overnight, and process large numbers of samples under the same conditions, with preparation for analysis also automated.
The technology is positioned as a foundational technology for producing chemicals and other useful substances using microorganisms. After the culture medium is mixed with a coolant to quench metabolic reactions, cells are collected and metabolites are extracted automatically, while samples are managed by barcode. The samples are pretreated for measurement by a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer, with sampling and pretreatment carried out according to set times, including overnight and in the early morning.
The announcement is expected to provide foundational technology for accelerating the selection of microorganism strains suited to specific purposes and the optimization of production conditions in the field of biomanufacturing. The findings were published online in the academic journal Analytical Chemistry.