BRAINCAKEBatch Fermentation
Batch fermentation is a closed culture on an industrial scale. The fermenter is filled with a fixed amount of sterile nutrient medium, inoculated with the microorganism, and sealed. Nothing more is added (apart from air, or acid or alkali for pH control) and nothing is removed until the end.
The microorganisms go through the lag, log and stationary phases, just like a lab closed culture. At the end of a set time the fermenter is emptied, the product is separated and purified, and the vessel is cleaned and sterilised for the next batch.
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Key terms in this lesson
- lag phase
- The initial phase of a growth curve in which population increase is slow as cells adapt and synthesise the enzymes needed before dividing.
- log phase
- The phase of a growth curve in which population size increases at a constant, maximum rate because nutrients are plentiful.
- stationary phase
- The phase of a growth curve in which the rate of cell division equals the rate of cell death, so numbers stay roughly constant.
More in Cloning and Biotechnology
- Culturing Microorganisms
- Aseptic Technique
- Serial Dilution
- Standard Growth Curve
- Continuous Fermentation
- Controlling Conditions in Fermenters
- Immobilised Enzymes
- Uses of Immobilised Enzymes
All 21 lessons in Cloning and Biotechnology · All OCR A-level Biology topics