When Halobacterium halobium R1 was cultured with cell recycle in a bio
reactor equipped with an external hollow fiber membrane unit, the cell
and bacteriorhodopsin concentrations reached in 10 days were 30.3 g c
ell dry weight/l and 282 mg/l, respectively. The productivity of bacte
riorhodopsin (1.15 mg/l.h) was much higher than that (0.16 mg/l.h) obt
ained by typical batch fermentation.