Interaction effects of lactic acid and acetic acid at different temperatures on ethanol production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> in corn mash

The combined effects of lactic acid and acetic acid on ethanol production by S. cerevisiae in corn mash, as influenced by temperature, were examined. Duplicate full factorial experiments (three lactic acid concentrations × three acetic acid concentrations) were performed to evaluate the interaction between lactic and acetic acids on the ethanol production of yeast at each of the three temperatures, 30, 34, and 37°C. Corn mash at 30% dry solids adjusted to pH 4 after lactic and acetic acid addition was used as the substrate. Ethanol production rates and final ethanol concentrations decreased (P<0.001) progressively as the concentration of combined lactic and acetic acids in the corn mash increased and the temperature was raised from 30 to 37°C. At 30°C, essentially no ethanol was produced after 96 h when 0.5% w/v acetic acid was present in the mash (with 0.5, 2, and 4% w/v lactic acid). At 34 and 37°C, the final concentrations of ethanol produced by the yeast were noticeably reduced by the presence of 0.3% w/v acetic acid and ≥2% w/v lactic acid. It can be concluded that, as in previous studies with defined media, lactic acid and acetic acid act synergistically to reduce ethanol production by yeast in corn mash. In addition, the inhibitory effects of combined lactic and acetic acid in corn mash were more apparent at elevated temperatures.     

Effect of pH and lactic or acetic acid on ethanol productivity by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in corn mash

The effects of lactic and acetic acids on ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in corn mash, as influenced by pH and dissolved solids concentration, were examined. The lactic and acetic acid concentrations utilized were 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0% w/v, and 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6% w/v, respectively. Corn mashes (20, 25 and 30% dry solids) were adjusted to the following pH levels after lactic or acetic acid addition: 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 or 5.5 prior to yeast inoculation. Lactic acid did not completely inhibit ethanol production by the yeast. However, lactic acid at 4% w/v decreased (P<0.05) final ethanol concentration in all mashes at all pH levels. In 30% solids mash set at pH ≤5, lactic acid at 3% w/v reduced (P<0.05) ethanol production. In contrast, inhibition by acetic acid increased as the concentration of solids in the mash increased and the pH of the medium declined. Ethanol production was completely inhibited in all mashes set at pH 4 in the presence of acetic acid at concentrations ≥0.8% w/v. In 30% solids mash set at pH 4, final ethanol levels decreased (P<0.01) with only 0.1% w/v acetic acid. These results suggest that the inhibitory effects of lactic acid and acetic acid on ethanol production in corn mash fermentation when set at a pH of 5.0–5.5 are not as great as that reported thus far using laboratory media.     

Ethanol production by genetically modified strains of Saccharomyces

Summary Two polyploid yeast strains and two genetically manipulated yeast strains were subjected to anaerobic fermentations in whole corn mash and defined media. Carbohydrate utilization and ethanol production rates were investigated. Whilst the polyploid strains exhibited superior performance in the whole corn mash, the genetically manipulated strains were so in defined media with glucose as the substrate. The overall fermentation performance of the novel strains however was comparable to the polyploid strains with corn mash as the substrate when most of the solid material had been removed. The flocculating and dextrin utilizing properties of the yeast strains examined play an important role in such fermentations.     

Growth rates of Dekkera/Brettanomyces yeasts hinder their ability to compete with Saccharomyces cerevisiae in batch corn mash fermentations

Growth rates determined by linear regression analysis revealed that Saccharomyces cerevisiae consistently grew more rapidly than Brettanomyces yeasts under a wide array of batch fermentative conditions, including acetic acid stress, in normal gravity (ca. 20°Plato) mashes made from ground corn. Brettanomyces yeasts only grew more rapidly than S. cerevisiae when acetic acid concentrations were elevated to industrially irrelevant levels (>0.45%, w/v). Furthermore, the three Brettanomyces isolates used in this study failed to produce significant quantities of acetic acid under pure culture fermentative conditions. In fact, the small amounts of acetic acid which accumulated in pure culture fermentations of whole corn mash were below the concentration required to inhibit the growth and metabolism of S. cerevisiae. Acetic acid concentrations in pure culture Brettanomyces fermentations exceeded 0.05% (w/v) only in media containing low levels of glucose (<4%, w/v) or when aeration rates were elevated to at least 0.03 vol. air vol.^–1 mash min^–1. Consequently, it was concluded that Brettanomyces yeasts would not be capable of competing with S. cerevisiae in industrial batch fermentations of whole corn mash based solely on growth rates, nor would they be capable of producing inhibitory concentrations of acetic acid in such fermentations.     

Power consumption of a whey-corn mash as compared to a full corn mash during liquefaction

Summary Three mash formulas were investigated for power consumption and viscosity during liquefaction. The use of cheese whey replaced 26% of the corn required for a 16% w/v carbohydrate level. Comparison of the power consumption for the whey-corn mash to a full corn mash at the same carbohydrate content showed a 20% reduction in power for the whey-corn mash. The maximum apparent viscosity for the whey-corn mash was 72.3 cp and was equal to a 12% starch corn mash while the full corn mash displayed a maximum viscosity of 286.5 cp.     

Formic acid triggers the "Acid Crash" of acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation by Clostridium acetobutylicum

Solvent production by Clostridium acetobutylicum collapses when cells are grown in pH-uncontrolled glucose medium, the so-called "acid crash" phenomenon. It is generally accepted that the fast accumulation of acetic acid and butyric acid triggers the acid crash. We found that addition of 1 mM formic acid into corn mash medium could trigger acid crash, suggesting that formic acid might be related to acid crash. When it was grown in pH-uncontrolled glucose medium or glucose-rich medium, C. acetobutylicum DSM 1731 containing the empty plasmid pIMP1 failed to produce solvents and was found to accumulate 0.5 to 1.24 mM formic acid intracellularly. In contrast, recombinant strain DSM 1731 with formate dehydrogenase activity did not accumulate formic acid intracellularly and could produce solvent as usual. We therefore conclude that the accumulation of formic acid, rather than acetic acid and butyric acid, is responsible for the acid crash of acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation.     

Effect of yeast inoculation rate on the metabolism of contaminating lactobacilli during fermentation of corn mash

Two separate 4 (bacterial concentrations)×6 (yeast concentrations) full factorial experiments were conducted in an attempt to identify a novel approach to minimize the effects caused by bacterial contamination during industrial production of ethanol from corn. Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paracasei, commonly occurring bacterial contaminants in ethanol plants, were used in separate fermentation experiments conducted in duplicate using an industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Allyeast Superstart. Bacterial concentrations were 0, 1×10⁶, 1×10⁷ and 1×10⁸ cells/ml mash. Yeast concentrations were 0, 1×10⁶, 1×10⁷, 2×10⁷, 3×10⁷, and 4×10⁷ cells/ml mash. An increased yeast inoculation rate of 3×10⁷ cells/ml resulted in a greater than 80% decrease (P<0.001) and a greater than 55% decrease (P<0.001) in lactic acid production by L. plantarum and L. paracasei, respectively, when mash was infected with 1×10⁸ lactobacilli/ml. No differences (P>0.25) were observed in the final ethanol concentration produced by yeast at any of the inoculation rates studied, in the absence of lactobacilli. However, when the mash was infected with 1×10⁷ or 1×10⁸ lactobacilli/ml, a reduction of 0.7–0.9% v/v (P<0.005) and a reduction of 0.4–0.6% v/v (P<0.005) in the final ethanol produced was observed in mashes inoculated with 1×10⁶ and 1×10⁷ yeast cells/ml, respectively. At higher yeast inoculation rates of 3×10⁷ or 4×10⁷ cells/ml, no differences (P>0.35) were observed in the final ethanol produced even when the mash was infected with 1×10⁸ lactobacilli/ml. The increase in ethanol corresponded to the reduction in lactic acid production by lactobacilli. This suggests that using an inoculation rate of 3×10⁷ yeast cells/ml reduces the growth and metabolism of contaminating lactic bacteria significantly, which results in reduced lactic acid production and a concomitant increase in ethanol production by yeast.     

Acetate production byClostridium thermoaceticum in corn steep liquor media

A low-cost nutrient medium based on corn steep liquor (CSL) was developed for the production of acetates byClostridium thermoaceticum. Pre-treatment of CSL with dolime and vitamin supplementation increased the rate of acetate production. Adding excess nutrients in a fed-batch mode minimized by-product formation and increased final acetate concentration from 19 g L^–1 to 40 g L^–1 acetic acid. High yields of acetic acid (0.95 g g^–1 glucose in fed-batch mode) was probably due to the conversion of the lactic acid in CSL into acetic acid by the organism.     

戊糖乳杆菌发酵培养基氮源条件的优化

对戊糖乳杆菌发酵培养基的氮源条件进行了优化。通过单因素实验及响应面分析优化利用木糖高产乳酸的戊糖乳杆菌发酵培养基的不同氮源组合。优化得到的牛肉膏与柠檬酸氢二铵复合的最佳组成为牛肉膏17.72 g/L,柠檬酸氢二铵1.91 g/L,得到乳酸实际最大产量42.37 g/L。添加玉米浆与酵母粉和无机氮源复合的最佳组成为玉米浆46.54 g/L,酵母粉21.95 g/L,柠檬酸氢二铵9.95 g/L,可得到乳酸最大产量41.06 g/L。通过响应面优化减少了有机氮源的种类。牛肉膏与柠檬酸氢二铵的复合得到了更高的乳酸产量,且减少了有机氮源用量,节约了成本。玉米浆与酵母粉的复合解决了单一玉米浆造成的木糖利用速率过低的问题,同样得到较高浓度的乳酸。     

Influences of cultural medium component on the production of poly(γ-glutamic acid) byBacillus sp. RKY3

In this study, the cultural medium used for the efficient production of γ-PGA with a newly isolatedBacillus sp. RKY3 was optimized. It was necessary to supplement the culture medium withl-glutamic acid and an additional carbon source in order to induce the effective production of γ-PGA. The amount of γ-PGA increased with the addition ofl-glutamic acid to the medium. The addition of 90 g/Ll-glutamic acid to the medium resulted in the maximal yield of γ-PGA (83.2 g/L). The optimum nitrogen source was determined to be peptone, but corn steep liquor, a cheap nutrient, was also found to be effective for γ-PGA production. Both the γ-PGA production and cell growth increased rapidly with the addition of small amounts of K₂HPO₄ and MgSO₄·7H₂O.Bacillus sp. RKY3 appears to require Mg²⁺, rather than Mn²⁺, for γ-PGA production, which is distinct from the production protocols associated with other, previously reported bacteria.Bacillus sp. RKY3 may also have contributed some minor γ-PGA depolymerase activity, resulting in the reduction of the molecular weight of the produced γ-PGA at the end of fermentation.     

Enzyme production by the mixed fungal culture with nano‐shear pretreated biomass and lignocellulose hydrolysis

Cellulase, xylanase, and β‐glucosidase production was studied on novel nano‐shear pretreated corn stover by the mixed fungi culture. The high shear force from a modified Tayor‐Couette nano‐shear mixing reactor efficiently disintegrated corn stover, resulting in a homogeneous watery mash with particles in much reduced size. Scanning electron microscope study showed visible mini‐pores on the fiber cell wall surface, which could improve the accessibility of the pretreated corn stover to microorganisms. Mixed fungal culture of Trichoderma reesei RUT‐C30 and Aspergillus niger produced enzymes with higher cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities on corn stover pretreated with nano‐shear mixing reactor, in comparison with other pretreatment methods, including acid and ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) pretreatment. The hydrolytic potential of the whole fermentation broth from the mixed fungi was studied, and the possibility of applying the whole cell saccharification concept was also investigated to further reduce the cost of lignocellulose hydrolysis. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 2123–2130. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

被孢霉生物合成花生四烯酸的初步研究

花生四烯酸不仅是细胞膜的重要成分,在维持细胞膜的结构与功能上发挥重要作用,而且是人体前列腺素合成的前体物质,对人体生理功能具有重要的调节作用。近年来研究发现,花生四烯酸在保护皮肤、降低胆固醇、抑制血小板聚集、提高免疫能力、促进胎儿发育等方面具有独特的...     

Enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of corn for fuel alcohol

The integration of enzyme saccharification with fermentation reduces the total time required to produce acceptable levels of ethanol. The use of a more concentrated mash (84.8 L total mash/bu corn) results in a 26.6% increase in ethanol productivity and a 21.4% increase in beer ethanol concentration compared to standard corn mash (96.6 L total mash/bu corn). Thus, the energy requirement and cost of distillation can be reduced. The addition of waste cola syrup at 30 g invert sugar/L total mash gave a 19% increase in ethanol concentration in the final beer and required only a small increase in the period of fermentation. Surplus laundry starch can replace 30-50% of the weight of corn normally used in fermentation without influencing ethanol production or the time required for fermentation. Both of these waste materials reduce the unit cost of ethanol and demonstrate the value of such substances in ethanol systems.     

Batch and repeated batch production of l(+)-lactic acid by Enterococcus faecalis RKY1 using wood hydrolyzate and corn steep liquor

Lactic acid production was investigated for batch and repeated batch cultures of Enterococcus faecalis RKY1, using wood hydrolyzate and corn steep liquor. When wood hydrolyzate (equivalent to 50 g l⁻¹ glucose) supplemented with 15–60 g l⁻¹ corn steep liquor was used as a raw material for fermentation, up to 48.6 g l⁻¹ of lactic acid was produced with, volumetric productivities ranging between 0.8 and 1.4 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹. When a medium containing wood hydrolyzate and 15 g l⁻¹ corn steep liquor was supplemented with 1.5 g l⁻¹ yeast extract, we observed 1.9-fold and 1.6-fold increases in lactic acid productivity and cell growth, respectively. In this case, the nitrogen source cost for producing 1 kg lactic acid can be reduced to 23% of that for fermentation from wood hydrolyzate using 15 g l⁻¹ yeast extract as a single nitrogen source. In addition, lactic acid productivity could be maximized by conducting a cell-recycle repeated batch culture of E. faecalis RKY1. The maximum productivity for this process was determined to be 4.0 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹.     

Effect of acetylsalicylic acid on secondary metabolism ofCatharanthus roseus tumor suspension cultures

Summary Addition of various concentrations (0.5–20 mM) of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) to tumor lines ofCatharanthus roseus cultivatedin vitro and requiring corn starch as carbon source, produced remarkable effects on secondary metabolite production. An increase of 505% total alkaloids per culture (cells plus liquid medium), 1587% total phenolics (liquid medium), 612% total furanocoumarins (liquid medium) and 1476% total anthocyanins (liquid medium) was detected. 1 mM ASA in combination with other elicitors, such as homogenates ofAspergillus fumigatus or trans-cinnamic acid, did not further increase the metabolite content substantially. The results suggest that ASA could act as a new biotic elicitor of metabolite production inC. roseus cell suspension culture.     

A cost effective fermentative production of succinic acid from cane molasses and corn steep liquor by Escherichia coli

AIM: Development and optimization of an efficient and inexpensive medium for succinic acid production by Escherichia coli under anaerobic conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Initially, 0.8 gl(-1) of succinic acid was produced in 60 h in 300-ml medium. On optimization, glucose and peptone were replaced by cane molasses and corn steep liquor. Three hundred ml of this medium was inoculated with 4% (v/v) of seed inoculum, incubated at 39 degrees C for 72 h, resulted in 7.1 gl(-1) of succinic acid in 36 h. Scale up in a 10-l fermentor under conditions of controlled pH and continuous CO2 supply in this medium resulted in 17 gl(-1) of succinic acid in 30 h. CONCLUSIONS: A ninefold increase in succinic acid production was obtained in 500-ml anaerobic bottles with optimized medium having cane molasses and corn steep liquor as against initial medium containing glucose and peptone. However, a subsequent scale up in a 10-l fermentor resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in succinic acid production as against optimized medium used in 500-ml anaerobic bottles. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Succinic acid production was enhanced in medium consisting of inexpensive carbon and nitrogen sources in a shorter span of time.     

一株耐盐日本曲霉的筛选及其溶磷促生作用

【目的】从内蒙古种植葵花的盐碱地中筛选高效溶磷真菌,为盐碱地增产节肥开发生物肥料提供溶磷菌种资源。【方法】利用ITS r DNA序列鉴定菌株、固体培养基测定耐盐性,液体摇床培养与盆栽试验结合分析菌株溶磷能力,盆栽和田间试验明确菌株M1促进作物生长和增产作用;LC-MS技术测定菌株M1在液体培养基中分泌有机酸和植物激素含量,明确菌株M1的溶磷和促生机理。【结果】溶磷菌株M1鉴定为日本曲霉(Aspergillus japonicus)。液体培养基接种菌株M1培养6 d,以Ca_3(PO_4)_2为磷源时上清液有效磷达1020.89 mg/L,溶解率为63.30%;以AlPO_4为磷源时有效磷达995.69 mg/L,溶解率为48.59%;以贵州开阳磷矿粉、江苏锦屏磷矿粉、云南晋宁磷矿粉、河北钒山磷矿粉和云南昆阳磷矿粉为磷源接种菌株M1,从晋宁磷矿粉释放的有效磷浓度最高,达到363.64 mg/L。菌株M1可耐受10%NaCl。将M1制备的菌剂分别接种于施用Ca_3(PO_4)_2、AlPO_4和开阳磷矿粉3种磷源的4种盆栽试验土壤包括北京石灰性潮土、安徽黏性潮土、安徽水稻土和山东沿海盐潮土。结果显示,菌株M1对玉米植株促生效果显著,玉米植株鲜重比对照提高2.14%–90.91%、干重增加22.15%–268.28%;土壤有效磷提高21.81–24.27 mg/kg。菌株M1与4种土壤的适配性均高于对照菌株DSM 821。田间小区花生产量结果显示,接种溶磷菌剂M1增产效果最好,花生果实产量达4.46 t/hm~2,比不接种菌剂的对照处理增加0.81 t/hm~2,增产22.19%。菌株M1在含有磷酸三钙、磷酸铝和开阳磷矿粉3种难溶磷培养液中经过6 d培养,均产生7种有机酸,其中草酸和柠檬酸含量最高,分别为616.16 mg/L和413.69 mg/L;培养液均能检测到吲哚乙酸(IAA)和玉米素,IAA含量为15.45–77.58 mg/L,玉米素浓度为0.06–0.11 mg/L。【结论】获得了一株高效溶解多种难溶磷的日本曲霉菌M1,它能显著增加土壤有效磷、促进玉米生长和花生增产,与4种典型土壤适配性好,具有良好的农业应用前景。     

Batch and continuous cultures of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Mannheimia succiniciproducens</Emphasis> MBEL55E for the production of succinic acid from whey and corn steep liquor

Mannheimia succiniciproducens MBEL55E isolated from bovine rumen is able to produce a large amount of succinic acid in a medium containing glucose, peptone, and yeast extract. In order to reduce the cost of the medium, whey and corn steep liquor (CSL) were used as substrates for the production of succinic acid by M. succiniciproducens MBEL55E. Anaerobic batch cultures of M. succiniciproducens MBEL55E in a whey-based medium containing CSL resulted in the production of succinic acid with a yield of 71% and productivity of 1.18 g/l/h, which are similar to those obtained in a whey-based medium containing yeast extract (72% and 1.21 g/l/h). Anaerobic continuous culture of M. succiniciproducens MBEL55E in a whey-based medium containing CSL resulted in a succinic acid yield of 69% and a succinic acid productivity as high as 3.90 g/l/h. These results show that succinic acid can be produced efficiently and economically by M. succiniciproducens MBEL55E from whey and CSL.     

Biological conversion of wood hydrolysate to succinic acid by Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens

Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens grew on a minimal salts medium containing wood hydrolysate (equivalent to 27 g glucose l^–1) and, when supplemented with 10 g corn steep liquor l^–1 as a complex nitrogen source, succinic acid at 24 g l^–1 was obtained (yield = 88% w/w glucose). This may therefore be an economical method to produce succinic acid.