A MICROCOMPUTER-BASED OXYGEN MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL-SYSTEM FOR FERMENTATION PROCESSES

The availability of oxygen in aerobic fermentation processes affects the growth and metabolism of microorganisms. Thus, measurement and control of oxygen in these processes is very essential. This paper presents a description of a computer-based oxygen measurement and control system. The rate of oxygen response to changes in the concentration of dissolved oxygen and the long-term stability of the system were evaluated. The system performed satisfactorily under simulated biological conditions and is currently being used in a real fermentation process for the production of single cell protein.