A Microcomputer System Analyzing the Time Dependent Growth Speed of Bacterial Culture

To study the parameters characterizing the bacterial species, a microcomputer system is made up by using the microprocessor TK80 kit (8K RAM), an A/D converter, the digital memory (DM 305), an oscilloscope and some recorders. The estimated growth of E. coli and Staph. epidermids is examined on the real time in their log-phase. The estimated growth speed shows the time dependent fluctuation around its averaged values. The power spectrum of the growth speed is also calculated on the real time by the use of the wellknown Fast Fourier Transformation program. The growth speed and its Fourier spectrum illustrate the different behaviors between the examined bacterial species, and seem to be good parameters identifying the bacterial species.