Soft sensors in bioprocessing: A status report and recommendations

The following report with recommendations is the result of an expert panel meeting on soft sensor applications in bioprocess engineering that was organized by the Measurement, Monitoring, Modelling and Control (M3C) Working Group of the European Federation of Biotechnology ‐ Section of Biochemical Engineering Science (ESBES). The aim of the panel was to provide an update on the present status of the subject and to identify critical needs and issues for the furthering of the successful development of soft sensor methods in bioprocess engineering research and for industrial applications, in particular with focus on biopharmaceutical applications. It concludes with a set of recommendations, which highlight current prospects for the extended use of soft sensors and those areas requiring development. A soft sensor is the combination of hardware sensor components with mathematical models in software. This expert panel report on soft sensor applications in bioprocess engineering provides an update of the current status and identifies critical needs and issues for further development. The panel focuses on industrial applications, in particular biopharmaceutical applications.