Question

The specific growth rate ($\mu$) is defined as

• A. The rate of biomass production per unit time
• B. The rate of substrate utilization per unit biomass
• C. The rate of product formation per unit substrate
• D. The rate of nutrient consumption per unit volume

Hint:

• Specific growth rate \(\mu = \frac{1}{X}\frac{dX}{dt}\). It is the rate of increase of biomass per unit of existing biomass, per unit time. Units: time\(^{-1}\).
• In exponential growth phase, \(dX/dt = \mu X\), where \(\mu\) is constant.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The specific growth rate, denoted as $\mu$, is a crucial parameter in biotechnology and microbiology representing the rate at which organisms grow. It is mathematically defined as:

$$ \mu = \frac{dX}{X \cdot dt} $$

where:

• dX is the change in biomass concentration over time.
• X is the existing biomass concentration.
• dt is the time increment.

This formula implies that $\mu$ is the rate of increase of biomass concentration per unit biomass per unit time.

Therefore, the correct option is:

The rate of biomass production per unit time