Modelling of lactobacillus plantarum growth in a chemostat fermentation system

Nowadays, biotechnology application is a well-known method in the food manufacturing, especially in lactic acid fermentation processes. When the demand for lactic acid production increases, the biomass production of lactic acid also needs to be increased. Since Lactobacillus plantarum is homofermentative on glucose, lactic acid is the main product formed. Modelling and simulation were used to simulate the kinetic behaviour of Lactobacillus plantarum in Chemostat fermentation using MATLAB® software. Monod model was introduced to develop the suitable equations of mass balance for Chemostat fermentation. By doing this simulation, biomass concentration, substrate utilisation and dilution rate of L. plantarum were predicted. In conclusion, dilution rate and substrate concentration were identified as a factor that influences the performance of Lactobacillus plantarum in Chemostat mode.