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Multiple Choice

What is a benefit of the high optimum growth temperature (about 60°C) of Clostridium thermocellum for industrial fermentation?

High growth temperature is advantageous in industrial fermentation because it suppresses contaminating microbes. Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophile, thriving around 60°C, so the environment is hostile to many other microorganisms that prefer moderate temperatures. This reduces the chance that unwanted microbes will grow and compete with the culture, helping the process stay stable and productive. The other ideas don’t fit as well: maintaining such heat doesn’t inherently lower energy needs, it doesn’t completely remove the need for sterilization or contamination control, and temperature alone doesn’t make the culture more sensitive to oxygen in a beneficial way.

High growth temperature is advantageous in industrial fermentation because it suppresses contaminating microbes. Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophile, thriving around 60°C, so the environment is hostile to many other microorganisms that prefer moderate temperatures. This reduces the chance that unwanted microbes will grow and compete with the culture, helping the process stay stable and productive. The other ideas don’t fit as well: maintaining such heat doesn’t inherently lower energy needs, it doesn’t completely remove the need for sterilization or contamination control, and temperature alone doesn’t make the culture more sensitive to oxygen in a beneficial way.