Question

In chemostat, constant cell concentration is maintained?

(a) True

(b) False

The question was asked in a job interview.

This intriguing question originated from Continuous Culture topic in section Microbial Growth Kinetics of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

The correct answer is (b) False

To explain: In the chemostat, in the steady state adjusting the concentration of one substrate controls cell growth. In the turbidostat, cell growth is kept constant by using turbidity to monitor the biomass concentration and the rate of feed of nutrient solution is appropriately adjusted. In the chemostat, constant chemical environment is maintained, while in a turbidostat constant cell concentration is maintained.