This page contains explanations of a number of words or abbreviations common to Tissue Culture practice but with which you may be unfamiliar. It will be extended continuously and you are welcome to suggest terms for inclusion.

ALR -                                 Air- lift reactor

Coalescence -                   Fusion of two or more bodies to form a single one

Convection -                      Movement of a component by bulk movement of the liquid

Diffusion -                          Movement of an individual component by random molecular motion in                                             response to a concentration gradient.

Dimensionless number -  Number derived from a formula in which the units cancel each other                                            out.

Eddy -                                Circular movement of liquid generated by turbulent mixing

Elicitor -                            Substance that induces secondary metabolism

Impeller -                           Agitator blade for mixing in a reactor

Innoculum -                        Small quantity of a culture added to a larger volume

Laminar flow -                   Parallel flow in liquid at low flow rates, Reynolds number below 100

Mass transfer -                 Movement of material through liquid phases and across phase                                            boundaries

OTR -                               Oxygen transfer rate

Power number -                 Dimensionless number describing power use in a reactor

Reynolds number -           Dimensionless number describing convection or flow

Rushton turbine -             Straight bladed impeller giving radial flow

Schmidt number -              Dimensionless number describing diffusion

Sherwood number -           Dimensionless number describing mass transfer

Stagnant -                          Area of liquid which is not moving

STR -                                 Stirred tank reactor

Turbulent flow -                 Liquid flow at high velocity, Reynolds numbers above 10,000