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Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Biodegradation and Bioremediation pp 1–42Cite as

Determination of Kinetic Parameters and Metabolic Modes Using the Chemostat

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Part of the book series: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology ((HHLM))

Abstract

Continuous cultures in the form of chemostats limited by carbon source, energy source, nitrogen, phosphate, or oxygen are commonly used where reproducible growth or a continuous supply of biomass is needed. Originally, they were developed as means to determine a range of kinetic parameters such as specific molar growth yield (Y) and derived parameters such as maximum specific molar growth yield (YMAX), maximum specific growth rate (μMAX), maintenance coefficient (mS), specific maintenance rate (a), the Monod constant (KS), etc. These parameters afford very useful means of comparing organisms or determining metabolic modes within an organism but are sadly no longer widely used, largely for reasons of skill sets disappearing. In this chapter we cover the basics of running a chemostat to give high-quality growth data and manipulation thereof to obtain growth kinetic parameters.

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Acknowledgments

RB thanks those who originally taught him the mathematical basis of chemostat kinetics that inspired him in the first place – Professor Jeremy Mason and Dr. Ann P Wood (both formerly of King’s College London, London, UK) – and those from whom he learnt the practicalities, Professor Donovan P Kelly (Professor Emeritus, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK), Dr. Elena Borodina (Lecturer in Science, Weston College of Further and Higher Education, Weston-super-Mare, UK), Mr. Gez Chapman, Mrs. Jane Green, and the late Dr. Steve Stanley (all formerly of University of Warwick, Coventry, UK). LPH and RB both thank our collaborators Dr. Kathleen M Scott (Associate Professor, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA) and Dr. Jan Kuever (Head of Department of Microbiology, Official Material Testing Institute of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Germany) for continued stimulating discussions on continuous culture methodology and kinetics and the wider field of growth physiology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

    Rich Boden & Lee P. Hutt

  2. Sustainable Earth Institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

    Rich Boden

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  1. Rich Boden
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  2. Lee P. Hutt
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Correspondence to Rich Boden .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cape Coral, FL, USA

    Robert Steffan

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Boden, R., Hutt, L.P. (2018). Determination of Kinetic Parameters and Metabolic Modes Using the Chemostat. In: Steffan, R. (eds) Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons, Oils, and Lipids: Biodegradation and Bioremediation. Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44535-9_24-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44535-9_24-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-44535-9

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