ABSTRACT
Comparative studies on the growth of Micrococcus varians were carried out in BHI culture medium (control) as well as in a culture medium with 2(per cent) diluted sugar cane blackstrap molasses, enriched with 0.1 (per cent) yeast extract. The experiment was conducted with three samples of the experimental and control media in a 5 liter fermentor with working volume of 3.5 liters, continuous agitation (150 rpm), 35ñ0.1oC temperature, 0.7 L air. 1-1 medium.min-1, initial pH 7.0ñ 0.2, 24 hour fermentation period, and approximate inoculum of 6.0 log10 CFU/ml. Samples were collected at 2-hour intervals. Micrococcus varians grew in the two culture media studied, which confirms the experimental medium viability for the growth of this species. The final average concentration of biomass was higher in the control medium than in the experimental medium: 0.99 g.1-1 and 0.78 g.1-1, respectively. The final number of viable cells at the end of fermentation was 20.65 log10 CFU/ml for the control medium (BHI), while in the experimental medium the number of viable cells was 19.43 log10 CFU/ml. The consumption of total sugars was higher for the biomass in the control medium (79,78 per cent), while only 50.53(per cent) was consumed for the experimental medium.