[Effect of Zn2+ on growth and the properties of Candida utilis in continuous cultivation]

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of zinc ions on the growth and physiological properties of the chemostat culture of Candida utilis BKM Y-1668. Zinc at a concentration of 250-300 mg/l was found to inhibit the growth of the culture. The resistance of the culture to zinc ions can be increased within 40 generations if the yeast is grown in the regime of chemostat and the concentration of zinc ions is gradually increased. The growth of the resistant culture by zinc ions was inhibited at a concentration of 500 mg/l. If the yeast was cultivated with an addition of the inhibitor, the economic coefficient decreased, while the utilization of glycerol, nitrogen and phosphorus per 1 g of the biomass increased twofold and more; the rate of oxygen uptake by the cells and the rate of carbon dioxide evolution decreased, whereas the concentration of keto and amino acids in the medium increased.