The development of the biotechnological industry has favored the need of having analytical tools, increasingly fast and powerful, which allows a more effective estimation of cell growth during bioprocesses. In this regard, turbidimetric techniques are ver

Abstract

The development of the biotechnological industry has favored the need of having analytical tools, increasingly fast and powerful, which allows a more effective estimation of cell growth during bioprocesses. In this regard, turbidimetric techniques are very useful tools that fill such expectations and can be applied to life sciences. Systems for measuring turbidity are based on optical phenomena resulting from passing a beam of light through the culture medium. Light becomes scattered, due to the presence of foreign particles suspended in the medium under analysis thereby reducing the intensity of the emerging light. The manner in which a sample, suspended in medium, interferes light is then related to size, shape and composition of particles in suspension as well as the wavelength of the incident light. This paper describes the state of art of the development and use of turbidimetric techniques in cell culturing. Turbidimetric techniques differ one each other in geometry of the light detector used. The development of optical systems has led to an effective use in order to have information on various measurement fields including biotechnological processes. Therefore, turbidimetric methods constitute an alternative way for obtaining information and controlling biotechnological systems