Influence of the pH on (open) mixed culture fermentation of glucose: a chemostat study

Catabolic products from anaerobic fermentation processes are potentially of industrial interest. The volatile fatty acids and alcohols produced can be used as building blocks in chemical processes or applied directly as substrates in a mixed culture process to produce bioplastics. Development of such applications requires a predictable and controllable product spectrum of the fermentation process. The aim of the research described in this paper was (i) to investigate the product spectrum of an open mixed culture fermentation (MCF) process as a function of the pH, using glucose as substrate, and (ii) to relate the product spectrum obtained to generalized biochemical and thermodynamic considerations. A chemostat was operated under carbon and energy limitation in order to investigate the pH effect on the product spectrum in a MCF process. A transition from CO(2)/H(2) production at lower pH values to formate production at higher pH values was observed. The ratio of CO(2)/H(2) versus formate production was found to be related to the thermodynamics of formate dehydrogenation to CO(2)/H(2). This transition was associated with a shift in the catabolic products, from butyrate and acetate to ethanol and acetate, likely due to a decrease in the oxidation state of the electron carriers in the cell. The product spectrum of the MCF process as a function of the pH could largely be explained using general biochemical considerations.     

Xylose anaerobic conversion by open-mixed cultures

Xylose is, after glucose, the dominant sugar in agricultural wastes. In anaerobic environments, carbohydrates are converted into volatile fatty acids and alcohols. These can be used as building blocks in biotechnological or chemical processes, e.g., to produce bioplastics. In this study, xylose fermentation by mixed microbial cultures was investigated and compared with glucose under the same conditions. The product spectrum obtained with both substrates was comparable. It was observed that, in the case of xylose, a higher fraction of the carbon was converted into catabolic products (butyrate, acetate, and ethanol) and the biomass yield was approximately 20% lower than on glucose, 0.16 versus 0.21 Cmol X/Cmol S. This lower yield is likely related to the need of an extra ATP during xylose uptake. When submitted to a pulse of glucose, the population cultivated on xylose could instantaneously convert the glucose. No substrate preference was observed when glucose and xylose were fed simultaneously to the continuously operated bioreactor.     

A new 3-hydroxybutyrate fermenting anaerobe,Ilyobacter polytropus,gen. nov. sp. nov., possessing various fermentation pathways

From marine anoxic mud, a new strictly anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-sporeforming bacterium was isolated with 3-hydroxybutyrate as substrate. 3-Hydroxybutyrate and crotonate were fermented to acetate and butyrate. Glycerol was fermented to 1,3-propanediol and 3-hydroxypropionate. Acetate and formate were the only products of pyruvate or citrate fermentation. Glucose and fructose were fermented to acetate, formate and ethanol. Malate and fumarate were fermented to acetate, formate and propionate. Neither sulfate, sulfur, nor nitrate was reduced. The DNA base ratio was 32.2±0.5 mol% guanine plus cytosine. Strain CuHbu1 is described as type strain of a new genus and species, Ilyobacter polytropus gen. nov. sp. nov., in the family Bacteroidaceae.     

Metabolic Energy-Based Modelling Explains Product Yielding in Anaerobic Mixed Culture Fermentations

The fermentation of glucose using microbial mixed cultures is of great interest given its potential to convert wastes into valuable products at low cost, however, the difficulties associated with the control of the process still pose important challenges for its industrial implementation. A deeper understanding of the fermentation process involving metabolic and biochemical principles is very necessary to overcome these difficulties. In this work a novel metabolic energy based model is presented that accurately predicts for the first time the experimentally observed changes in product spectrum with pH. The model predicts the observed shift towards formate production at high pH, accompanied with ethanol and acetate production. Acetate (accompanied with a more reduced product) and butyrate are predicted main products at low pH. The production of propionate between pH 6 and 8 is also predicted. These results are mechanistically explained for the first time considering the impact that variable proton motive potential and active transport energy costs have in terms of energy harvest over different products yielding. The model results, in line with numerous reported experiments, validate the mechanistic and bioenergetics hypotheses that fermentative mixed cultures products yielding appears to be controlled by the principle of maximum energy harvest and the necessity of balancing the redox equivalents in absence of external electron acceptors.     

Modeling product formation in anaerobic mixed culture fermentations

The anaerobic conversion of organic matter to fermentation products is an important biotechnological process. The prediction of the fermentation products is until now a complicated issue for mixed cultures. A modeling approach is presented here as an effort to develop a methodology for modeling fermentative mixed culture systems. To illustrate this methodology, a steady-state metabolic model was developed for prediction of product formation in mixed culture fermentations as a function of the environmental conditions. The model predicts product formation from glucose as a function of the hydrogen partial pressure (P(H2)), reactor pH, and substrate concentration. The model treats the mixed culture as a single virtual microorganism catalyzing the most common fermentative pathways, producing ethanol, acetate, propionate, butyrate, lactate, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and biomass. The product spectrum is obtained by maximizing the biomass growth yield which is limited by catabolic energy production. The optimization is constrained by mass balances and thermodynamics of the bioreactions involved. Energetic implications of concentration gradients across the cytoplasmic membrane are considered and transport processes are associated with metabolic energy exchange to model the pH effect. Preliminary results confirmed qualitatively the anticipated behavior of the system at variable pH and P(H2) values. A shift from acetate to butyrate as main product when either P(H2) increases and/or pH decreases is predicted as well as ethanol formation at lower pH values. Future work aims at extension of the model and structural validation with experimental data.     

Parameters Affecting Solvent Production by Clostridium pasteurianum

The effect of pH, growth rate, phosphate and iron limitation, carbon monoxide, and carbon source on product formation by Clostridium pasteurianum was determined. Under phosphate limitation, glucose was fermented almost exclusively to acetate and butyrate independently of the pH and growth rate. Iron limitation caused lactate production (38 mol/100 mol) from glucose in batch and continuous culture. At 15% (vol/vol) carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, glucose was fermented to ethanol (24 mol/100 mol), lactate (32 mol/100 mol), and butanol (36 mol/100 mol) in addition to the usual products, acetate (38 mol/100 mol) and butyrate (17 mol/100 mol). During glycerol fermentation, a completely different product pattern was found. In continuous culture under phosphate limitation, acetate and butyrate were produced only in trace amounts, whereas ethanol (30 mol/100 mol), butanol (18 mol/100 mol), and 1,3-propanediol (18 mol/100 mol) were the major products. Under iron limitation, the ratio of these products could be changed in favor of 1,3-propanediol (34 mol/100 mol). In addition, lactate was produced in significant amounts (25 mol/100 mol). The tolerance of C. pasteurianum to glycerol was remarkably high; growth was not inhibited by glycerol concentrations up to 17% (wt/vol). Increasing glycerol concentrations favored the production of 1,3-propanediol.     

Starch fermentation via a formate producing pathway in Chlamydomonas reinhardii, Chlorogonium elongatum and Chlorella fusca

Starch degradation was investigated during anaerobic dark incubation in the algae Chlamydomonas reinhardii, Chlorogonium elongatum and Chlorella fusca . The pathway of algal formate fermentation was elucidated by determination of the relationship between substrate consumption and product accumulation. The fate of reducing equivalents was also determined. Investigations were done on dependence of pH, fermentation time, cell cycle, and after addition of H₂, hypophosphite and inhibitors of protein synthesis.
A mixed acid fermentation that produced formate, acetate and ethanol (2:1:1) with only small amounts of H₂ and CO₂ was shown for the algal strains used. The failure of inhibition with cycloheximide and chloramphenicol indicated the constitutive presence of all fermenting enzymes. Nevertheless, glycerol, D(–)lactate and stoichiometrical amounts of ethanol and CO₂ were found additionally at extreme pH (pH 4.6 and 7.9), and after addition of H₂ and hypophosphite (7 m M ). During long-term incubation (28 h) fermentation changed from mixed acid to ethanol production. The pathways of algal fermentation did not depend on cell cycle, and fermentation rate corresponded directly to the actual starch content of algal cells. The results gave evidence for synthesis of formate during anaerobic metabolism in algae by a thioclastic cleavage of pyruvate via the enzyme pyruvate formate lyase. This indicated an algal fermentation pathway thought to be present only in procaryotic organisms.     

In vitro gas production and ruminal fermentation of glycerol, propylene glycol and molasses

Ruminal fermentation pattern and in vitro gas production was determined for three energy sources for ruminants, glycerol, propylene glycol and molasses with ruminal fluid from sheep. Substrates incubated were alfalfa, corn silage, glycerol (320 and 640 μl), propylene glycol (320 and 640 μl) and molasses (320 μl). The greater volume of gas produced was observed at the highest dose of glycerol which also showed the slowest rate of gas production and the longest lag time (P<0.05). Propylene glycol presented the minor volume of gas and was rapidly metabolized with short lag time. Molasses presented typical characteristics of a rapidly available substrate, with the fastest rate of gas production (P<0.05). Glycerol fermentation resulted in a reduction of acetate, a slight increase in propionate and an increment in percentage of butyrate. Incubations with propylene glycol also reduced acetate and butyrate, but increased propionate (P<0.05). Molasses fermentation reduced acetate and increased propionate and butyrate. Increasing dose of energy sources resulting in a greater volume of gas produced. In conclusion, glycerol fermentation reduced acetate and increased the molar proportion of butyrate and propionate was the main product of fermentation of propylene glycol.     

Microbial production of 1,3-propanediol

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) production by fermentation of glycerol was described in 1881 but little attention was paid to this microbial route for over a century. Glycerol conversion to 1,3-PD can be carried out by Clostridia as well as Enterobacteriaceae. The main intermediate of the oxidative pathway is pyruvate, the further utilization of which produces CO₂, H₂, acetate, butyrate, ethanol, butanol and 2,3-butanediol. In addition, lactate and succinate are generated. The yield of 1,3-PD per glycerol is determined by the availability of NADH₂, which is mainly affected by the product distribution (of the oxidative pathway) and depends first of all on the microorganism used but also on the process conditions (type of fermentation, substrate excess, various inhibitions). In the past decade, research to produce 1,3-PD microbially was considerably expanded as the diol can be used for various polycondensates. In particular, polyesters with useful properties can be manufactured. A prerequisite for making a “green” polyester is a more cost-effective production of 1,3-PD, which, in practical terms, can only be achieved by using an alternative substrate, such as glucose instead of glycerol. Therefore, great efforts are now being made to combine the pathway from glucose to glycerol successfully with the bacterial route from glycerol to 1,3-PD. Thus, 1,3-PD may become the first bulk chemical produced by a genetically engineered microorganism. Received: 12 January 1999 / Received revision: 9 March 1999 / Accepted: 14 March 1999     

A modified metabolic model for mixed culture fermentation with energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction and metabolite transport energy

A modified metabolic model for mixed culture fermentation (MCF) is proposed with the consideration of an energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction and the transport energy of metabolites. The production of H₂ related to NADH/NAD⁺ and Fdred/Fdox is proposed to be divided in three processes in view of energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction. This assumption could fine‐tune the intracellular redox balance and regulate the distribution of metabolites. With respect to metabolite transport energy, the proton motive force is considered to be constant, while the transport rate coefficient is proposed to be proportional to the octanol–water partition coefficient. The modeling results for a glucose fermentation in a continuous stirred tank reactor show that the metabolite distribution is consistent with the literature: (1) acetate, butyrate, and ethanol are main products at acidic pH, while the production shifts to acetate and propionate at neutral and alkali pH; (2) the main products acetate, ethanol, and butyrate shift to ethanol at higher glucose concentration; (3) the changes for acetate and butyrate are following an increasing hydrogen partial pressure. The findings demonstrate that our modified model is more realistic than previous proposed model concepts. It also indicates that inclusion of an energy conserving electron bifurcation reaction and metabolite transport energy for MCF is sound in the viewpoint of biochemistry and physiology. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 1884–1894. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Isolation and characterization of two glycerol-fermenting clostridial strains from a pilot scale anaerobic digester treating high lipid-content slaughterhouse waste

Two obligately anaerobic bacterial strains were isolated from the contents of a pilot scale, anaerobic digester treating slaughterhouse waste with a high protein and lipid content. The isolates, LIP1 and MW8, were characterized as spore-forming, Gram-positive rods, capable of fermenting glycerol. Isolate LIP1 was also observed to be lipolytic and was able to hydrolyse tallow and olive oil. Both isolates grew optimally at 37 degrees C and formed either acetate and formate (LIP1), or acetate and butyrate (MW8), as major glycerol fermentation products. Both isolates produced ethanol as the major reduced fermentation end-product. Neither MW8 nor LIP1 had growth and metabolism inhibited by the addition of stearic acid at concentrations normally considered bactericidal. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences, in conjunction with the phenotypic data, confirmed that the isolates are members of the genus Clostridium (sensu lato), clustering with species of clostridial clusters I (MW8) and XIVa (LIP1).     

Metabolism of position-labelled glucose in anoxic methanogenic paddy soil and lake sediment

Abstract Turnover times of radioactive glucose were shorter in paddy soil (4–16 min) than in Lake Constance sediment (18–62 min). In the paddy soil, 65–75% of the radioactive glucose was converted to soluble metabolites. In the sediment, only about 25% of the radioactive glucose was converted to soluble metabolites, the rest to particulate material. In anoxic paddy soil, the degradation pattern of position-labelled glucose was largely consistent with glucose degradation via the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway followed by methanogenic acetate cleavage: CO₂ mainly originated from C-3,4, whereas CH₄ mainly originated from C-1 and C-6 of glucose. Acetate-carbon originated from C-1, C-2 and C-6 rather than from C-3,4 of glucose. In both paddy soil and Lake Constance sediment acetate and CO₂ were the most important early metabolites of radioactive glucose. Other early products included propionate, ethanol/butyrate, succinate, and lactate, but accounted each for less than 1–8% of the glucose utilized. The labelling of propionate by [3,4-¹⁴C]glucose suggests that it was mainly produced from glucose or lactate rather than from ethanol. Isopropanol and caproate were also detectable in paddy soil, but were not produced from radioactive glucose. Chloroform inhibited methanogenesis, inhibited the further degradation of radioactive acetate and resulted in the accumulation of H₂, however, did not inhibit glucose degradation. Since acetate was the main soluble fermentation product of glucose and was produced at a relatively high molar acetate: CO₂ ratio (2.5:1), homoacetogenesis appeared to be the most important glucose fermentation pathway.     

Effects of butyrate precursors on electron relocation when methanogenesis is inhibited in ruminal mixed cultures

AIMS: Inhibition of ruminal methanogenesis often causes accumulation of H(2), formate and ethanol, which are not energy substrates for ruminants. It was hypothesized that the addition of butyrate precursors would avoid the formation of these products and relocate electrons into butyrate. METHODS AND RESULTS: In four ruminal 24-h incubations, two inhibitors of methanogenesis, each at three different initial concentrations (0, 2 or 4 mmol l(-1) for propynoic acid, and 0, 4 or 8 mmol l(-1) for ethyl 2-butynoate), were combined with two butyrate precursors at two different initial concentrations (0 or 4 mmol l(-1) for crotonic acid or 3-butenoic acid). Ground lucerne hay was the substrate. Propynoic acid at 4 mmol l(-1) decreased CH(4) formation by more than two-thirds. Ethyl 2-butynoate at 8 mmol l(-1) suppressed methanogenesis by more than 90%. Butyrate precursors generally did not decrease the accumulation of H(2) and formate or ethanol production. CONCLUSIONS: Butyrate precursors were ineffective as electron acceptors because they were not completely converted to butyrate and were also metabolized through other pathways. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Effectiveness of butyrate precursors may be improved by adding them to the fermentation continuously or by enhancing the kinetics of their conversion into butyrate.     

Products of fermentation in the roots of alders (Alnus Mill.)

The aim of this work was to discover the products of carbohydrate fermentation in alder roots. Experiments were done with roots of trees growing in naturally wet soils. Detached, anaerobic roots accumulated ethanol, and ethanol was the major labelled product of metabolism of [U-¹⁴C]sucrose. Glycerol was not labelled from [U-¹⁴C]sucrose, and did not accumulate in detached or attached roots. In both winter and summer, roots in the field contained little or no glycerol, and the amount was less than that in the aerobic parts of the tree. Roots in the field contained substantial amounts of ethanol. We conclude that ethanol is the major product of fermentation in alder roots, and that glycerol is not a significant product. These results are not consistent with Crawford's metabolic theory of flooding tolerance.     

1,3-Propanediol formation with product-tolerant mutants of Clostridium butyricum DSM 5431 in continuous culture: productivity, carbon and electron flow

Glycerol fermentation and product formation of two product-tolerant mutants of Clostridium butyricum DSM 5431 were investigated in continuous culture at increasing glycerol feed concentrations. Under conditions of glycerol excess (above 55 g l⁻¹ at D = 0·15 h⁻¹), the mutants maintained a constant level of glycerol consumption and product formation, whereas the parent strain exhibited a substantial decrease in substrate conversion, 1,3-propanediol and butyrate formation, and an increase in acetate formation. The activities of the glycerol dehydrogenase, the glycerol dehydratase and the 1,3-propanediol dehydrogenase showed only slight changes with glycerol concentrations in the mutants, but dropped markedly at high concentrations in the wild type. Intracellular concentrations of NADH, NAD ⁺ and acetyl-CoA remained at a relatively constant level in the mutants, but increased sharply with the wild type strain. The NADH content was always higher than the NAD ⁺ content in the mutants as well as in the wild type.     

Citrate metabolism by Enterococcus faecalis FAIR-E 229.

Citrate metabolism by Enterococcus faecalis FAIR-E 229 was studied in various growth media containing citrate either in the presence of glucose or lactose or as the sole carbon source. In skim milk (130 mM lactose, 8 mM citrate), cometabolism of citrate and lactose was observed from the first stages of the growth phase. Lactose was stoichiometrically converted into lactate, while citrate was converted into acetate, formate, and ethanol. When de Man-Rogosa-Sharpe (MRS) broth containing lactose (28 mM) instead of glucose was used, E. faecalis FAIR-E 229 catabolized only the carbohydrate. Lactate was the major end product, and small amounts of ethanol were also detected. Increasing concentrations of citrate (10, 40, 70, and 100 mM) added to MRS broth enhanced both the maximum growth rate of E. faecalis FAIR-E 229 and glucose catabolism, although citrate itself was not catabolized. Glucose was converted stoichiometrically into lactate, while small amounts of ethanol were produced as well. Finally, when increasing initial concentrations of citrate (10, 40, 70, and 100 mM) were used as the sole carbon sources in MRS broth without glucose, the main end products were acetate and formate. Small amounts of lactate, ethanol, and acetoin were also detected. This work strongly supports the suggestion that enterococcal strains have the metabolic potential to metabolize citrate and therefore to actively contribute to the flavor development of fermented dairy products.     

Fermentation of glycerol by Anaerobium acetethylicum and its potential use in biofuel production

Growth of biodiesel industries resulted in increased coproduction of crude glycerol which is therefore becoming a waste product instead of a valuable ‘coproduct’. Glycerol can be used for the production of valuable chemicals, e.g. biofuels, to reduce glycerol waste disposal. In this study, a novel bacterial strain is described which converts glycerol mainly to ethanol and hydrogen with very little amounts of acetate, formate and 1,2‐propanediol as coproducts. The bacterium offers certain advantages over previously studied glycerol‐fermenting microorganisms. Anaerobium acetethylicum during growth with glycerol produces very little side products and grows in the presence of maximum glycerol concentrations up to 1500 mM and in the complete absence of complex organic supplements such as yeast extract or tryptone. The highest observed growth rate of 0.116 h^?1 is similar to that of other glycerol degraders, and the maximum concentration of ethanol that can be tolerated was found to be about 60 mM (2.8 g l^?1) and further growth was likely inhibited due to ethanol toxicity. Proteome analysis as well as enzyme assays performed in cell‐free extracts demonstrated that glycerol is degraded via glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate, which is further metabolized through the lower part of glycolysis leading to formation of mainly ethanol and hydrogen. In conclusion, fermentation of glycerol to ethanol and hydrogen by this bacterium represents a remarkable option to add value to the biodiesel industries by utilization of surplus glycerol.     

Clostridium grantii sp. nov., a new obligately anaerobic,alginolytic bacterium isolated from mullet gut

A gram-positive, motile, rod-shaped, strictly anaerobic, sporulating bacterium was isolated from an enrichment initiated with mullet gut contents. The organism grew optimally at 30°C and pH6.5, and at a salinity of 1–10³. Out of a variety of polysaccharides tested as growth substrates, only alginate supported growth in either semidefined or complex culture medium. The organism also grew on a variety of mono- and disaccharides. Moles product per 100mol of alginate monomer degraded were: acetate, 186; ethanol, 19; formate, 54; and CO₂, 0.19. Moles product per 100mol of hexose in cellobiose or glucose degraded were: acetate, 135; ethanol,61; formate, 63: and CO₂, 61. Hydrogen was not detectable during the incubations (detection limit, <10^-5atm) and propionate, butyrate, lactate, or succinate were not produced as fermentation end products (<2 mol per 100 mol of monomer). The G+C content of DNA from the bacterium was 30.2±0.3 mol%, and the cell walls contained the peptidoglycan component meso-diaminopimelic acid. A phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence indicated that the organism grouped closely with members of the RNA-DNA homology group 1 of the genus Clostridium. However, it differed from other species of the genus with regard to morphology, growth temperature optimum, substrate range, and fermentation pattern and is therefore designated as a new species of Clostridium; the type strain is A-1 (DSM 8605).     

Metabolic modelling of syntrophic-like growth of a 1,3-propanediol producer, Clostridium butyricum, and a methanogenic archeon, Methanosarcina mazei, under anaerobic conditions

Clostridium butyricum can convert glycerol into 1,3-propanediol, thereby generating unfortunately a high amount of acetate, formate and butyrate as inhibiting by-products. We have proposed a novel mixed culture comprising C. butyricum and a methane bacterium, Methanosarcina mazei, to relieve the inhibition and to utilise the by-products for energy production. In order to examine the efficiency of such a mixed culture, metabolic modelling of the culture system was performed in this work. The metabolic networks for the organisms were reconstructed from genomic and physiological data. Several scenarios were analysed to examine the preference of M. mazei in scavenging acetate and formate under conditions of different substrate availability, including methanol as a co-substrate, since it may exist in glycerol solution from biodiesel production. The calculations revealed that if methanol is present, the methane production can increase by 130%. M. mazei can scavenge over 70% of the acetate secreted by C. butyricum.     

Fermentation and Sulfur Reduction in the Mat-Building Cyanobacterium Microcoleus chthonoplastes

The mat-building cyanobacterium Microcoleus chthonoplastes carried out a mixed-acid fermentation when incubated under anoxic conditions in the dark. Endogenous storage carbohydrate was fermented to acetate, ethanol, formate, lactate, H(inf2), and CO(inf2). Cells with a low glycogen content (about 0.3 (mu)mol of glucose per mg of protein) produced acetate and ethanol in equimolar amounts. In addition to glycogen, part of the osmoprotectant, glucosyl-glycerol, was degraded. The glucose component of glucosyl-glycerol was fermented, whereas glycerol was released into the medium. Cells with a high content of glycogen (about 2 (mu)mol of glucose per mg of protein) did not utilize glucosyl-glycerol. These cells produced more acetate than ethanol. M. chthonoplastes was also capable of using elemental sulfur as the electron acceptor during fermentation, resulting in the production of sulfide. With sulfur present, acetate production increased whereas ethanol production decreased. Also, less formate was produced and the evolution of hydrogen ceased completely. In general, the carbon recoveries were satisfactory but the oxidation-reduction balances were too high. The latter could be explained by assuming the reduction of ferric iron, which is associated with the cells, mediated by the oxidation of formate. The switch from photoautotrophic to fermentative metabolism did not require de novo protein synthesis, and fermentation started immediately upon transfer to dark anoxic conditions. From the molar ratios of the fermentation products and from measurement of enzyme activities in cell extracts, we concluded that glucose derived from glycogen and glucosyl-glycerol is degraded via the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway.