Question

Small size fermenter is required in continuous culture.

(a) True

(b) False

I had been asked this question by my college director while I was bunking the class.

My doubt is from Comparison of Batch and Continuous Culture in Industrial Processes topic in chapter Microbial Growth Kinetics of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

(b) False

Explanation:

In continuous culture, a large-size fermenter is often used. The reason for this is that continuous culture involves the continuous addition of fresh medium and the removal of culture broth at a constant rate. This process requires a larger volume to maintain a steady state of cell growth and product formation over a prolonged period.

• Small-size fermenters are more commonly used in batch cultures, where the culture is inoculated, allowed to grow for a specific period, and then harvested, without any continuous addition or removal of material during the process.

In continuous culture, the goal is to maintain a constant rate of production, and the system is designed for long-term operation, which typically requires larger fermenters to support high-throughput production and effective mixing.

Therefore, the statement that a small-size fermenter is required for continuous culture is false.