Moss bioreactor

[citation needed] Moss is a very frugal photoautotrophic organism that has been kept in vitro for research purposes since the beginning of the 20th century.

[3] To ensure a maximum growth rate, the moss is kept at the protonema stage by continuous mechanical disruption, e.g. by using rotating blades.

[4] Once the density of the culture has reached a certain threshold, the lack of nutrients and the increasing concentration of phytohormones in the medium triggers the differentiation of the protonema to the adult gametophyte.

Biologically active recombinant factor H was produced in a moss bioreactor for the first time in 2011.

[8] The enzyme alpha-galactosidase now is allowed to be produced in moss bioreactors by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.