Optimal automatic bioreactor control requires a mathematical model adapted to the potency of reliable sensors. A new relationship describing the kinetic behavior of alcoholic fermentation is discussed. By analogy with chemical kinetics, the biological rate of substrate consumption is related to substrate and product concentration by the following equation: r(s) = kS(alpha)P(beta) Using the well known yield relation between product and substrate, it is possible to describe in both batch and continuous cultures the ethanol and sugar concentrations versus time. This pattern has been successfully tested on several fermentations performed by yeasts (S. cerevisiae, S. bayanus, and S. cerevisiae sake) and a bacterium (Z. mobilis). This simple relationship is proposed as a tool for process control alcoholic fermentation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.