Separation characteristics of liquid nematode cultures and the design of recovery operations.

Production of nematode-based pesticides involves the recovery of a viable nematode life stage known as the infective juvenile (IJ) from fermentation broth. Waste components to be separated from the IJs include non-IJ life stages, dead nematodes, nematode debris, spent media, and the nematode's associated bacteria. This paper reports separation characteristics of liquid cultures and suspensions of the nematodes Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, Steinernema feltiae, and Heterorhabditis megidis measured at small scale.