Describe the large-scale production of a named antibiotic and explain the importance of each stage of the process.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] 1 named antibiotic ;
2. [9] (if marking point 1 awarded, marking point 2 must be correctly linked) any nine from ... 2 fungus / bacterium / correct named ;
3. [9] 3 fermenter ;
4. [9] 4 sterilised / steam + to prevent contamination AW ;
5. [9] 5 carbohydrate (or named) + respiration / energy ;
6. [9] 6 protein / amino acids + growth ;
7. [9] 7 paddles / impeller / stirring + reason for stirring ;
8. [9] 8 oxygen / air + aerobic ;
9. [9] 9 sparger / bubbles + increased surface area ;
10. [9] 10 control temperature / reference to temp. between 25–45 °C ;
11. [9] 11 removal of CO2 / pH control / ref. a pH between 5–8 ;
12. [9] 12 temperature / pH + enzymes ;
13. [9] 13 maximum / increased + growth ;
14. [9] 14 extraction / filtration / purification / crystallisation ;