Continuous Cultures

Continuous cultures are a type of closed microbial culture system where an unlimited amount of microorganisms can be cultured while maintaining the same environment. These cultures are beneficial in the fields of biochemistry and microbiology, as well as in industry. Key characteristics of continuous culture systems include: a steady state of culture composition, maintenance of a critical balance of nutrients, and controlled residence time of cells in the system. Continuous culture systems allow researchers and industry to grow large quantities of a desired microorganism, allowing them to conduct many experiments and analyze the behavior of the organism without disrupting their environment. Additionally, these systems can be used to help produce antibiotics, recombinant proteins, and biofuels.