11A kinetic study on the canthaxanthin (CTX) production by the bacterium Dietzia natronolimnaea 12 HS-1 grown in a batch bioreactor using enzymatic hydrolyzed molasses (EHM, 5-50 g/l) as the 13 carbon substrate was developed. After the preliminary studies, eight models of Aiba, Andrews 14 and Noack, Edward, Haldane, Monod, Moser, Teissier and Webb were statistically chosen for 15 the describing substrate inhibition and specific growth rate. Contrary to Monod's, Webb's model 16 presented a good fit to the growth kinetics data (R 2 = 0.9833). Kinetic constants of the Webb 17 equation were µ m = 0.07042 h −1 , Ks = 13.26 g/l and K i = 6.631 g/l. Experimentally, it was 18 observed that EHM was inhibitory type substrate and the inhibition effect of EHM became 19 predominant above a concentration of 25 g/l. Luedeking-Piret model was successfully used for 20 CTX formation and substrate consumption according to the growth characteristics of D. 21 natronolimnaea HS-1. The values of two key kinetic constants namely growth (α) and non-22 growth (β) associated constant for CTX production at the optimal concentration of EHM (25 g/l) 23 were 1.163 g/g and 0.021 g/g h, respectively. The introduced models can be practical tools for 24 the design and control of cultures of this bacterium, and could allow improving the yield of CTX 25 production process.26