This article proposes a maximum likelihood algorithm for simultaneous estimation of state and parameter values in nonlinear stochastic state-space models. The proposed algorithm uses a combination of expectation maximization, nonlinear filtering and smoothing algorithms. The algorithm is tested with three popular techniques for filtering namely particle filter (PF), unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and extended Kalman filter (EKF). It is shown that the proposed algorithm when used in conjunction with UKF is computationally more efficient and provides better estimates. An online recursive algorithm based on nonlinear filtering theory is also derived and is shown to perform equally well with UKF and ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) algorithms. A continuous fermentation reactor is used to illustrate the efficacy of batch and online versions of the proposed algorithms. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.