title: Connection between stochastic and deterministic modelling of microbial growth.
abstract: We present in this paper various links between individual and population cell growth. Deterministic models of the lag and subsequent growth of a bacterial population and their connection with stochastic models for the lag and subsequent generation times of individual cells are analysed. We derived the individual lag time distribution inherent in population growth models, which shows that the Baranyi model allows a wide range of shapes for individual lag time distribution. We demonstrate that individual cell lag time distributions cannot be retrieved from population growth data. We also present the results of our investigation on the effect of the mean and variance of the individual lag time and the initial cell number on the mean and variance of the population lag time. These relationships are analysed theoretically, and their consequence for predictive microbiology research is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Royal Society Wolfson Bioinformatics Research Laboratory, School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK. mr@cmp.uea.ac.uk
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kutalik
authors.forename: Moe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Razaz
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baranyi
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D002455:Cell Division; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D011157:Population Dynamics; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D013997:Time Factors