Abstract
Similar to some complex chemical systems, many reactions are involved in a microbial process. One of the initial tasks for both systems consists of considering the stoichiometric relations among the different chemical reactants. In the present work, a methodology to establish the stoichiometric relations in microbial processes is shown. The yield of biomass from the C-source can be calculated from these relations by using two types of system descriptions found in the literature, the black box model and metabolic description. The former represents microbial growth by means of a chemical reaction which contains the accumulating compounds. The description is based on element, electric charge and Gibbs energy balances. The metabolic model also describes the intracellular biochemical reactions. The model is based on the specification of a set of reactions which contain all the accumulating and catalytic species. In the present work, the biomass yield is calculated for the Candida utilis–glucose system by using both models. Results are compared with the measured yield and the available data in the literature, showing a good agreement.
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Tobajas, M., Garcia-Calvo, E. Determination of biomass yield for growth of Candida utilis on glucose: Black box and metabolic descriptions. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 15, 431–438 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008911630776
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008911630776