title: How suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus respond to oxygen limitation: small-scale tests with applications to large-scale cultures.
abstract: The effect of oxygen supply on the growth of suspension cultures of Catharanthus roseus in Erlenmeyer flasks was investigated. Below a critical oxygen supply rate the culture could not survive. By increasing the oxygen supply, a point is reached where the culture survives but no growth is possible. At higher oxygen supply rates there is a regime where both growth rate and the maximum biomass concentration increase with oxygen supply. Eventually there comes a point where no further increase in biomass is achieved, probably due to the depletion of the sugars; however, the growth rate continues to increase with oxygen supply until a maximum growth rate is obtained. The ratio of fresh to dry weight at maximum fresh weight increased with shaker table speed of rotation accompanied by a greater rate of sugar depletion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, P.O. Box 363, Birmingham, England.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Snape
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Callow