Inoculum development is generally done using flask cultures; flasks of 50 ml to 12 litres may be used and their number can be increased as per need. Where needed, small fermenters may be used.
Inoculum development is usually done in a stepwise sequence to increase the volume to the desired level. At each step, inoculum is used at 0.5-5% of the medium volume; this allows a 20-200-fold increase in inoculum volume at each step. Typically, the inoculum used for production stage is about 5% of the medium volume.
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