Development of Kinetic Model for Xanthan Production in a Laboratory-Scale Batch Fermentor

The present study was undertaken to investigate a kinetic model for cell growth evaluation and biopolymer production by Xanthomonas campestris in a laboratory-scale batch fermentor. The optimum conditions selected for biopolymer production were 30 °C for media temperature, 500 rpm for agitation rate, 65 g/l for sugarcane concentration and 1.5 vvm for air flow rate. A detailed, unstructured, mathematical kinetic model is presented here for batch production of xanthan biopolymer from X. campestris. Set of ordinary differential equations were developed as logistic model for X. campestris growth and logistic incorporated Luedeking–Piret model for xanthan production. These models would offer more insights of xanthan optimization with better productivities. The value of specific growth rate μ max of logistic model was 0.026 h−1. The values of α and β are 8.480 and 0.077, respectively, which shows that the xanthan production is growth associated since the value of the growth-associated parameter α is much more than the value of nongrowth-associated parameter β in Luedeking–Piret model.