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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2000, p. 2641-2646, Vol. 66, No. 6
Institute of Biotechnology, ETH
Hönggerberg, CH 8093, Zürich,
Switzerland,1 and Chair of
Biochemical Engineering, Aachen University of Technology, D-52074
Aachen, Germany2
Received 15 November 1999/Accepted 30 March 2000
Miniaturized growth systems for heterogeneous culture collections
are not only attractive in reducing demands for incubation space and
medium but also in making the parallel handling of large numbers of
strains more practicable. We report here on the optimization of oxygen
transfer rates in deep-well microtiter plates and the development of a
replication system allowing the simultaneous and reproducible sampling
of 96 frozen glycerol stock cultures while the remaining culture volume
remains frozen. Oxygen transfer rates were derived from growth curves
of Pseudomonas putida and from rates of oxygen
disappearance due to the cobalt-catalyzed oxidation of sulfite. Maximum
oxygen transfer rates (38 mmol liter
0099-2240/00/$04.00+0
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Methods for Intense Aeration, Growth, Storage, and
Replication of Bacterial Strains in Microtiter Plates
1 h
1,
corresponding to a mass transfer coefficient of 188 h
1)
were measured during orbital shaking at 300 rpm at a shaking diameter
of 5 cm and a culture volume of 0.5 ml. A shaking diameter of 2.5 cm
resulted in threefold-lower values. These high oxygen transfer rates
allowed P. putida to reach a cell density of approximately 9 g (dry weight) liter
1 during growth on a glucose
mineral medium at culture volumes of up to 1 ml. The
growth-and-replication system was evaluated for a culture collection
consisting of aerobic strains, mainly from the genera
Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, and
Alcaligenes, using mineral media and rich media.
Cross-contamination and excessive evaporation during vigorous aeration
were adequately prevented by the use of a sandwich cover of spongy
silicone and cotton wool on top of the microtiter plates.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of
Biotechnology, ETH Hönggerberg, HPT, CH 8093, Zürich,
Switzerland. Phone: (41)-1-6333811. Fax: (41)-1-6331051. E-mail:
duetz{at}biotech.biol.ethz.ch.
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