22 Key Difference between Batch Fermentation and Continuous Fermentation

What is the difference between batch fermentation and continuous fermentation?

Fermentation is the process of breaking down chemical components under anaerobic conditions by bacteria, fungi, and yeast. The conversion of organic molecules into gases, acids, and other metabolites is quite vital in the microorganism.

The core difference between batch fermentation and continuous fermentation is that batch fermentation is done one after the other while continuous fermentation is never stopped but run throughout for a longer period.

Difference between Batch Fermentation and Continuous Fermentation

What is Batch Fermentation?

Batch fermentation is an industrial fermentation where products are produced and harvested in batches. The process tends to end after the production of each batch.

The process is quite easy to set up and run. The fermenter needs to be washed before the subsequent step of fermentation is taken place.

The environmental conditions are never kept constant and the nutrients are utilized at a slower rate. It is suitable for the production of biomass of Single Cell Proteins.

What is Continuous Fermentation?

Continuous fermentation is a type of industrial fermentation where the fermentation process is carried out for a longer period while adding nutrients between production and harvesting.

The fermentation process is suitable for the production of primary metabolites of the microorganisms since it is carried out in a small fermenter.

The exponential growth of microbes is maintained by providing nutrients and changes in the conditions. The process is suitable for reducing costs and increasing yields.

Comparison Table: Batch Fermentation vs Continuous Fermentation

Basic Terms	Batch Fermentation	Continuous Fermentation
Type	Closed system	Open system
Set up	Cannot be changed from outside once fermentation has started	Can be changed from outside during fermentation process
Interruption	Tend to stop once the products are formed	The process cannot be stopped for the collection of products instead it runs throughout
Addition of Nutrients	Happen only at the beginning of the process	Tend to be added between the production and harvesting
Control	Less control on growth of microbes and production of desired products	Total control of growth and production
Environmental conditions	Not constant	Tend to be kept constant
Nutrients	The fermenter is utilized in a comparatively slow rate	The fermenter is utilized in a comparatively faster rate
Behavior of Microbes	Show lag, log and stationary phases	The exponential growth of microbes is maintained
Content of fermenter	Removed after fermentation for isolation of produces	Products are extracted from the overflow of fermenter but not removed
Washing and cleaning	The fermenter is washed and cleaned before the next process	No cleaning and washing since the process is continuous
Size of fermenter	Relatively larger	Relatively smaller
Nature	Less close to the natural environment	Quite close to the natural environment
Application	Widely in industrial fermentation	Limited in industrial fermentation
Suitability	Production of secondary metabolites	Production of primary metabolites
Significance	Large scale production of biomass and products	Less commonly used in large scale production of biomass and products
Ease of Set-Up	Quite easy to set up and run	Tend to be sophisticated to set up
Cost	The less initial investment required	Quite expensive investment to set up initially
Labor	Less	Quite more
Contamination	Less	More
Control methods	Easy to control	More complicated

Core Differences between Batch and Continuous Fermentation In Point Form

Batch fermentation is a closed system while continuous fermentation is an open system
Batch fermentation set up is not changed from outside once fermentation starts while continuous fermentation setup is changed from outside during fermentation process
Batch fermentation process stops once the product is formed while continuous fermentation tend not to stop for the collection of products
Batch fermentation nutrients are added at the beginning of the process while continuous fermentation nutrients are added many times
Batch fermentation has less control over the growth of the microbes and productions of desired products while continuous fermentation has more control on growth and production
The environmental conditions in batch fermentation are not constant while in continuous fermentation are kept constant
The turnover rate in batch fermentation is less while in continuous fermentation is more
The nutrients in batch fermentation are utilized relatively at a slower rate while in continuous fermentation at a faster rate
Content of fermenter in batch fermentation are removed for isolation of products while in continuous fermentation products are extracted from the overflow of the fermenter
In batch fermentation, the fermenter is cleaned and washed before the next production while in continuous fermentation no washing since the process runs throughout
The fermenter used in batch fermentation is comparatively large while in continuous fermentation is comparatively small
Batch fermentation is less closed to the natural environment while continuous fermentation is more closed to the natural environment
Batch fermentation is widely used in industrial fermentation while continuous fermentation is less used in industrial fermentation
Batch fermentation is suitable for the production of secondary metabolites while continuous fermentation for primary metabolites
Batch fermentation is common during large scale production of cell biomass and products while continuous fermentation common for small scale
Batch fermentation is easy to set up and run while continuous fermentation is difficult to set up and run
Batch fermentation is less suitable for the production of biomass such as single-cell protein while continuous fermentation is highly suitable for the production of SCP
Continuous fermentation requires a lot of labor while batch fermentation require less labor
Batch fermentation is less prone to contamination while continuous fermentation are prone to contamination
Batch fermentation is easy to set up and quick to control while continuous fermentation is more complicated to control
Batch fermentation require less initial investment while continuous fermentation requires a more initial investment
Microbes in batch fermentation show lag, log, and stationary phases while in continuous fermentation show an exponential growth rate

Similarities between Batch Fermentation and Continuous Fermentation

Both use in industrial fermentation for large scale production
Both are used in microbial production of biomass or products
Both operate under controlled environment
Both have similar mechanical components of the fermenter
Both aeration, pH, and temperature are maintained
Both are beneficial for microorganisms use
Both fresh media are used to provide nutrients

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Comparison Video

Summary

Both batch and continuous fermentation are used in the production of useful products for microorganisms. Batch fermentation involves batch-wise production while continuous fermentation involves feeding nutrients and harvesting at regular intervals.