Question

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of continuous culture?

(a) Long growth periods of subtrates/microbes

(b) Maintenance of mixed cultures

(c) Requires feed-batch culturing

(d) Viscosity of mixture for filamentous organisms

This question was posed to me in an interview.

Origin of the question is Continuous Culture in section Microbial Growth Kinetics of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

Right choice is (b) Maintenance of mixed cultures

Easiest explanation: Continuous culture provides a higher degree of control than a batch culture. Growth rates can be regulated and maintained for extended periods. By varying the dilution rate, biomass concentration can be controlled. Secondary metabolite production can be sustained simultaneously along with growth. In steady state continuous culture, mixed cultures can be maintained using chemostat cultures – unlike in a batch process where one organism usually outgrows another.