Differences in the growth kinetic behaviour of Torulopsis cremoris in batch and continuous cultures

Torulopsis cremoris growth in whey was described satisfactorily by Monod's model. The maximum specific growth rate of T. cremoris obtained in batch culture was approximately 26% higher than that estimated in continuous culture. This rate was higher than that reported for Kluyveromyces fragilis, which is the yeast used in large-scale processes for the biomass production from whey. In batch and continuous cultures, the yeast utilized some other carbon and energy source, different from lactose. In batch cultures, the overall growth yield coefficients exhibited a significant dependence on initial lactose concentration. The single-stage continuous culture is not a convenient system for T. cremoris. The results obtained in this work demonstrate that the kinetic parameters may vary significantly according to the culture type used, and this could have economic repercussions.