Cell harvesting (CH) by microfiltration (MF) using a stirred deadend system has been conducted with the bacteria: Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Staphylococcus aureous. The effects of pressure, temperature, feed concentration, stirring speed and filtration time on the flux of permeate and concentration of bacteria in the permeate have been investigated. Pressure, temperature and feed concentration had considerable effects on permeate flux, although after use these effects were reduced due to fouling of the membrane. These results were compared using the Standard Blocking Model (SBM) and Cake Filtration Model (CFM). At the beginning of filtration SBM correlated well with the experimental data, but due to fouling of the membrane, the system shifted to CFM with passage of time. In dilute suspension SBM correlated well even at long intervals.