Method of cultivating animal or plant cells

A method for cultivating animal or plant cells, which comprises

• (1) feeding a liquid fluorocarbon having molecular oxygen dissolved therein from above into a cultivation tank containing a continuous phase of a cultivation liquor having animal or plant cells suspended therein in a density of at least 4.times.10.sup.6 cells/ml to thereby contact them with each other while 1 ml of the liquid fluorocarbon has a surface area of about 6 to about 300 cm.sup.2 ;
• said cultivation liquor having a volume of at least about 10 liters
• (2) withdrawing a heavy phase composed substantially of the fluorocarbon from the bottom of the cultivation tank;
• (3) dissolving molecular oxygen in the fluorocarbon in the heavy phase;
• and
• (4) thereafter using the liquid fluorocarbon having molecular oxygen dissolved therein in step (1).