ABSTRACT
The use of a plant dedicated to single-cell protein production can with the use of a continuous culture process be operated for most of the time available, unlike any similar batch process. One of the initial steps in the development of a process for the production of singlecell protein from methane or methanol is the isolation of organisms capable of utilizing these substrates as their sole source of carbon and energy. Apart from the effluent industry the production of single-cell protein probably represents the first major use of continuous culture for an industrial process. The use of continuous culture has enabled a very exact measurement of the nutrient requirements for bacterial growth to be made. A continuous culture offers many advantages over batch culture. It is capable of continuously producing product over a long period of time whereas a batch process would involve a large extra cost because of the amount of time product is not being made.
