Mathematical modelling of production of microbial lipids: Part I. Kinetics of biomass growth.

As a part of the investigations on the microbial lipid
production using the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis, CFR-1, kinetics of
the biomass synthesis has been studied using shake flask experiments.
Using a medium containing a carbon to nitrogen ratio of
70:1, the rates of biomass production were followed at different
initial substrate concentrations in the range of 20-100 kg/m 3. A
logistic model was found to be reasonably adequate to describe the
kinetics of the growth of biomass; the maximum specific growth rate
of 0.105 h -1 was applicable for substrate concentrations less than
60 kg/m 3, which gave reasonable agreement between predicted and
actual biomass concentration values.