An Arduino based automatic pressure evaluation system to quantify growth of non‐model anaerobes in culture

Measuring the growth rate of non‐model anaerobic microbes typically requires the use of time‐consuming and often destructive manual measurements. Here, an Arduino based automatic pressure evaluation system (A‐APES) was developed to automatically measure the rate of fermentation gas production as a proxy for microbial growth in anaerobic systems. The A‐APES system measures accumulated gas pressure in sealed cultures accurately at high‐resolution, while venting the system at programmed intervals to prevent over pressurization. The utility of A‐APES is demonstrated in this study by quantifying the growth rate and phases of a biomass‐degrading anaerobic gut fungus, which cannot be otherwise measured via conventional techniques due to its association with particulate substrates. Given the utility of the A‐APES approach, we provide a complete construction guide to fabricate the device, which is three times less expensive compared to existing commercial alternatives.