Kinetic modelling of lactobacillus plantarum in fed-batch fermentation

Fed-batch cultivation in bioreactors has been extensively used in fermentation industry to increase the cell density and productivity of the desired bioproduct. The development of kinetic modelling has further improved the fed-batch fermentation process by predicting the growth kinetic behaviour of organisms. The aims of this research were to develop a model for kinetic growth of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) and determine the ideal feeding strategy of the substrate for maximum biomass production in fed-batch fermentation. Appropriate models have been selected from the literature which includes Monod equation to describe biomass production and substrate utilisation on the cell growth. Product formation of lactic acid follows Luedeking-Piret model. These models are associated with product inhibition term, both in constant and exponential fed-batch, to investigate its effect on the biomass production. These models are then simulated by MATLAB software. The results show that Monod and Luedeking-Piret model which takes into account the product inhibitory effect can maximise the biomass production of L. plantarum by exponential feeding of the substrate. However, longer fermentation time is required compared to constant fed­ batch.