METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FERMENTATION OF AEROBIC MICROORGANISM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

PURPOSE:To control fermentation of the objective microorganism so as to stably obtain the objective product in high yield by comparing the respiratory rate of an aerobic microorganism with the oxygen dissolution rate and regulating the dissolved oxygen concentration in a culture solution. CONSTITUTION:The respiratory rate of an aerobic microorganism is calculated at a prescribed time interval and then compared with the oxygen dissolution rate indicating the rate at which oxygen is dissolved in a culture solution. If the resultant difference is smaller than a prescribed value, the aforementioned oxygen dissolution rate is increased by a prescribed amount to raise the dissolved oxygen concentration in the above-mentioned culture solution. Thereby, fermentation of the objective microorganism is controlled. Furthermore, an apparatus equipped with an arithmetic unit 10 {an arithmetic means for calculating the respiratory rate of the aerobic microorganism (1a), a sensing means, a comparing means for comparing the oxygen dissolution rate with the aforementioned respiratory rate and variable means for oxygen dissolution rate [a flow rate controller 3 and a proportional plus integral plus derivative(PID) regulator 5]} for increasing the oxygen dissolution rate into a culture solution (1b) if the difference is smaller than the prescribed value as a result of the above-mentioned comparison is preferably used.