[Physiologic features of Candida utilis after shock by low chemostat pH and restoration of optimal conditions]

The chemostat culture of Candida utilis VKM Y 1668 limited with glycerol was subjected to a shock caused by extremely low pH values of the medium at dilution rates (D) of 0.1 and 0.2 hr-1. In the transient period, the optical density of the population and the concentration of the dry biomass decreased whereas the concentration of residual glycerol and the percentage of dead cells increased. The study was carried on for 1 to 10 generations. The changes of the above growth characteristics had a pattern of damping oscillations and lasted less than one generation. The restoration of the optimal pH (4.5) is also a shock for the inhibited culture. This is accompanied by a transient process rather than a gradual change in the growth characteristics until they reach the initial level.