Design and testing of a calorimeter for biological uses

A rotatory microcalorimeter of the conduction type has been designed for the study of microbial metabolic processes under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The instrument can be performed in either batch mode or flow mode by changing the calorimeter vessels and the tube connections. The sensitivity and the time constant were determined by electrical calibrations. The heat sensitivity was 0.12 mV/mW with both yeast and other fungi. Because of the sufficient aeration and agitation, the calorimeter is available for studies on the fungi growth experiments of biotechnical interest.