Diauxic growth

Diauxic growth or diauxie is any cell growth characterized by cellular growth in two phases, and can be illustrated with a diauxic growth curve. Diauxic growth, meaning double growth, is caused by the presence of two sugars on a culture growth media, one of which is easier for the target bacterium to metabolize. The preferred sugar is consumed first, which leads to rapid growth, followed by a lag phase. During the lag phase the cellular machinery used to metabolize the second sugar is activated and subsequently the second sugar is metabolized.