Batch/Continous Flow Processing

• Batch Food Processing


  1. Fixed amount of sterile nutrient added to micro-organisms in bioreactor

  2. Micro-organisms go through growth curve stages (Lag, Log, Stationary, Death)

  3. Reaction may be stopped before Death stage as little product is produced
• Batch culture


  • Used to make yoghurt and many antibiotics
• End of batch production

  1. Bioreactor cleared out

  2. Product separated from solution and purified

  3. Bioreactor cleaned and re-sterilised

  4. Process can then be repeated
• Continuous flow processing


  1. Nutrients continuously fed into bioreactor

  2. Culture medium (containing micro-organisms) continually withdrawn

  3. Micro-organisms maintained in Log phase of growth

  4. Bioreactor factors continually monitored to ensure maximum yield

  5. Process can continue uninterrupted for weeks, even months
• Maintaining constant conditions is difficult, therefore continuous flow processing has limited applications
• Processes using continuous flow

  • Single cell protein production
  • Water treatment systems
• Continuous flow processing involves a constant production process where materials are continuously processed without interruption.
• Batch processing involves processing multiple units of a product at the same time in groups or batches.
• Batch processing is the most common method used to produce pharmaceutical products.