Optimization of pH for high molecular weight pullulan

Summary Pullulan is a polysaccharide produced by Aureobasidium pullulans. In this study, the effect of pH on the molecular weight of pullulan was investigated. High concentration of pullulan was obtained when initial pH was 6. Pullulan having molecular weight of 500,000–600,000 was produced at initial pH of 3.0, while pullulan with molecular weight of 200,000–300,000 was produced at pH above 4.5. To obtain high molecular weight pullulan with high concentration, pH was initially controlled at pH 6, followed by pH shift from pH 6 to pH 3. Transition of pH at 2 days of fermentation was observed to be optimum. Higher molecular weight pullulan was also obtained when sucrose concentration was 50 g/l compared to the result obtained at initial sucrose concentration of 20 g/l. Sucrose concentration and pH of the fermentation broth seem to be important parameters in obtaining high molecular weight of pullulan.     

Pullulan production from synthetic medium by a new mutant of Aureobasidium pullulans

Pullulan with different molecular-weight could be applied in various fields. A UV-induced mutagenesis Aureobasidium pullulans UVMU6-1 was obtained from the strain A. pullulans CGMCC3.933 for the production of low-molecular-weight pullulan. First, the obtained polysaccharide from A. pullulans UVMU6-1 was purified and identified to be pullulan with thin-layer chromatography, Fourier transform infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Then, culture medium and conditions for this strain were optimized by flask fermentation. Based on the optimized medium and culture conditions (pH 4, addition of 4?g/L Tween 80 for 96?hr of cultivation), continuously fermentation was performed. The highest pullulan production and dry biomass was 109 and 125?g/L after fermentation for 114?hr, respectively. The average productivity was about 1?g/L/hr, which was intensively higher than the previous reported. This study would lay foundations for the industrial production of pullulan.     

短梗霉多糖发酵条件的研究

在摇瓶发酵条件研究的基础上。于16L自控发酵罐上进行了罐上发酵条件优化研究。发现以10％淀粉水解物为碳源时,淀粉水解物的最适DE值为40－50,发酵培养基中的硫酸铵最适用量不同于摇瓶发酵时的量,种龄和接种量、通气量、罐压、搅拌速度和搅拌叶轮挡数等均对多糖的产生有较大的影响。另外还进行了发酵过程的动力学的研究。     

Optimization and characterization of pullulan production by a newly isolated high-yielding strain Aureobasidium melanogenum

Abstract

Pullulan is an extracellular water-soluble polysaccharide with wide applications. In this study, we screened strains that could selectively produce high molecular weight pullulan for application in industrial pullulan production. A new fungus strain A4 was isolated from soil and identified as Aureobasidium melanogenum based on colony characteristics, morphology, and internally transcribed spacer analysis. Thin-layer chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis suggested that the dominant exopolysaccharide produced by this strain, which presented a molecular weight of 1.384?×?10⁶ Dalton in in-gel permeation chromatography, was pullulan. The culture conditions for A. melanogenum A4 were optimized at 30?°C and 180?rpm: carbon source, 50?g/L maltose; initial pH 7; and 8?g/L Tween 80. Subsequently, batch fermentation was performed under the optimized conditions in a 5-L stirred-tank fermentor with a working volume of 3?L. The fermentation broth contained 303?g/L maltose, which produced 122.34?g/L pullulan with an average productivity of 1.0195?g/L/h and 82.32?g/L dry biomass within 120?h. The conversion efficiency of maltose to pullulan (Y%) and specific production rate (g/h/g dry cells) (Qs) reached 40.3% and 0.0251?g/L/g dry cells, respectively. The results showed strain A4 could be a good candidate for industrial production.     

一株法夫酵母虾青素高产菌株的生产性能

为了评价虾青素高产菌株-法夫酵母JMU-MVP14的生产性能及建立虾青素高产发酵技术,通过测定糖、生物量、虾青素产量、总类胡萝卜素产量等发酵参数,用摇瓶试验对比了法夫酵母JMU-MVP14和出发菌株的差异,用7 L罐试验对比了pH值调控方式及补料培养基成分对发酵的影响,用1 m3罐试验评估了法夫酵母JMU-MVP14高密度发酵虾青素的产量水平。摇瓶发酵结果表明,法夫酵母JMU-MVP14虾青素及总类胡萝卜素的细胞产率分别达到6.01 mg/g及10.38 mg/g;7 L罐分批发酵试验结果表明,自动流加调     

Pullulan production and physiological characteristics of Aureobasidium pullulans under acid stress

In this study, batch processes of pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans CCTCC M 2012259 under different pH environments were evaluated. The pH of the medium decreased quickly to an acid stress condition under batch fermentation without pH control. A higher pullulan production was always obtained with a lower biomass under a given glucose concentration with constant pH control, and vice versa. Based on the nonlinear regression analysis of the results obtained from diverse pH control modes, a constant controlled pH of 3.8 was predicted as an optimum pH for efficient pullulan production using a one-element cubic equation. A maximum pullulan concentration of 26.8 g/L and a minimum biomass of 8.1 g/L were achieved under the optimal pH of 3.8, which were in good agreement with the results predicted by the mathematical model. Further information on the physiological characteristics of A. pullulans CCTCC M 2012259 such as intracellular pH, NADH/NAD⁺, ATP/ADP, and glutathione generation under moderate or severe acidic conditions were investigated, and the results presented more evidence on why pullulan biosynthesized with high efficiency under moderate acid stress (e.g., pH 3.8), which would also help us to better understand the response of the cells to acid stress.     

Optimization of Phaffia rhodozyma continuous culture through response surface methodology

Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the growth of the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma in continuous fermentation using peat hydrolysates as substrate. A second-order, complete, factorial design of the experiments was used to develop empirical models providing a quantitative interpretation of the relationships between the two variables studied, dilution rate and pH. Maximum biomass concentration in the fermentor was obtained by employing the following predicted optimum fermentation conditions: a dilution rate of 0.017/h and a pH level of 7.19. A verification experiment, conducted at previously optimized conditions for maximum biomass volumetric productivity (a dilution rate of 0.022/h, and a pH level of 6.90), produced values for biomass concentration, residual substrate concentration, biomass yield, and biomass volumetric productivity that were very close to the predicted values, indicating the reliability of the empirical model. The concentration of the pigment astaxanthin produced by the yeast under the optimized growth conditions was found to be 544 mg astaxanthin/kg dry cell biomass.     

Continuous Cellulosic Bioethanol Fermentation by Cyclic Fed-Batch Cocultivation

Cocultivation of cellulolytic and saccharolytic microbial populations is a promising strategy to improve bioethanol production from the fermentation of recalcitrant cellulosic materials. Earlier studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of cocultivation in enhancing ethanolic fermentation of cellulose in batch fermentation. To further enhance process efficiency, a semicontinuous cyclic fed-batch fermentor configuration was evaluated for its potential in enhancing the efficiency of cellulose fermentation using cocultivation. Cocultures of cellulolytic Clostridium thermocellum LQRI and saccharolytic Thermoanaerobacter pseudethanolicus strain X514 were tested in the semicontinuous fermentor as a model system. Initial cellulose concentration and pH were identified as the key process parameters controlling cellulose fermentation performance in the fixed-volume cyclic fed-batch coculture system. At an initial cellulose concentration of 40 g liter⁻¹, the concentration of ethanol produced with pH control was 4.5-fold higher than that without pH control. It was also found that efficient cellulosic bioethanol production by cocultivation was sustained in the semicontinuous configuration, with bioethanol production reaching 474 mM in 96 h with an initial cellulose concentration of 80 g liter⁻¹ and pH controlled at 6.5 to 6.8. These results suggested the advantages of the cyclic fed-batch process for cellulosic bioethanol fermentation by the cocultures.     

Effects of dissolved oxygen and pH levels on weissellin A production by Weissella paramesenteroides DX in fermentation

Experiments carried out with the dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) maintained during fermentation at 0, 10, 50, 70 and 100% showed a direct effect of the dissolved oxygen levels on weissellin A production with no correlative increase on biomass. An estimate of the yield of weissellin A per gram biomass revealed the 50% DOT level as the optimum for increased yields. The effect of pH was studied in experiments carried out without pH control, with pH initially set at 6.0, 5.0 and 4.5 and with pH controlled at 6.0, 5.0 and 4.5. The initial pH value and the pH-drop gradient appear to be the important parameters for weissellin A production. Production was significantly higher with the uncontrolled initial pH compared to that of the controlled initial pH at 6.0, while acidic initial pHs created unfavorable conditions for production. Maintaining a constant pH environment during fermentation led to decreased production levels.     

蝉拟青霉液体发酵条件优化

采用液体发酵蝉拟青霉,对蝉拟青霉的发酵条件进行优化,以提高蝉拟青霉胞外多糖产量及生物量。摇瓶发酵条件下,在单因素基础上设计正交实验确定各因素的最佳组合。优化后得最佳发酵培养基:蔗糖8%,牛肉膏0.75%,酵母膏0.125%,MgSO_4·7H_2O 0.3%,KH_2PO_4 0.2%,麸皮0.5%。该条件下胞外多糖产量为5.96 g/L,生物量为42 g/L,较优化前提高了1倍。采用发酵罐进行扩大培养,对分批发酵时的初糖浓度进行了优化,并分析了补料分批发酵对发酵过程的影响。发酵罐培养时最适初糖浓度为5%,此时生物量最高为38 g/L,多糖含量最高为5.5 g/L;采用补料分批发酵时,多糖产量最高为5.89 g/L,生物量最高为40 g/L,效果优于分批发酵。     

基于稳健性设计优化L-赖氨酸发酵过程

目的:选择发酵系统中各可控因素的最佳水平组合,从而减少各种干扰的影响,以获得稳健的赖氨酸产量。方法:利用田口法的内外表与Box性能规则优化赖氨酸发酵条件。结果:通过实验得知,转速、硫酸铵和葡萄糖浓度对发酵影响较大;结果稳定的最优发酵条件为初始葡萄糖浓度为80g/L、硫酸铵浓度为42g/L、转速为225r/min、初始pH值为6.7、接种量为8%。经实验验证,最优化发酵条件是低灵敏度的,最优目标值比较稳健。在10L自动发酵罐上培养65h,L-赖氨酸盐酸盐的产量为165.68g/L,比优化前提高了12.4%。结论:基于稳健性设计所得的最优发酵条件参数,可使目的产物产量稳定,便于生产操作。     

Pullulan production by a non-pigmented strain of Aureobasidium pullulans using batch and fed-batch culture

The production of pigment-free pullulan by Aureobasidium pullulans in batch and fed-batch culture was investigated. Batch culture proved to be a better fermentation system for the production of pullulan than the fed-batch culture system. A maximum polysaccharide concentration (31.3 g l⁻¹), polysaccharide productivity (4.5 g l⁻¹ per day), and sugar utilization (100%) were obtained in batch culture. In fed-batch culture, feed medium composition influenced the kinetics of fermentation. For fed-batch culture, the highest values of pullulan concentration (24.5 g l⁻¹) and pullulan productivity (3.5 g l⁻¹ per day) were obtained in culture grown with feeding substrate containing 50 g l⁻¹ sucrose and all nutrients. The molecular size of pullulan showed a decline as fermentation progressed for both fermentation systems. At the end of fermentation, the polysaccharide isolated from the fed-batch culture had a slightly higher molecular weight than that of batch culture. Structural characterization of pullulan samples (methylation and enzymic hydrolysis with pullulanase) revealed the presence of mainly α-(1→4) (∼66%) and α-(1→6) (∼31%) glucosidic linkages; however, a small amount (<3%) of triply linked (1,3,4-, 1,3,6-, 1,2,4- and 1,4,6-Glc p) residues were detected. The molecular homogeneity of the alcohol-precipitated polysaccharides from the fermentation broths as well as the structural features of pullulan were confirmed by ¹³C-NMR and pullulanase treatments followed by gel filtration chromatography of the debranched digests.     

基于可见光测定的山羊支原体山羊肺炎亚种抗原定量

山羊支原体山羊肺炎亚种(Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae, Mccp)是山羊传染性胸膜肺炎(contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, CCPP)的病原,可用灭活疫苗和荚膜多糖(capsular polysaccharide, CPS)间接血凝试剂进行预防和血清学检测,但高昂的培养成本和复杂的抗原定量一直困扰着生产人员。为解决生产实际中出现的这些问题,本研究基于Mccp代谢组学的前期理论基础,通过改变初始pH值的方法,初步筛选出初始pH值为7.8的可以同时提高2种抗原产量的糖发酵培养基。利用紫外可吸收光谱可识别酚红,以及十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB)可与阴离子荚膜多糖结合的理论依据,建立了利用紫外光谱分析Mccp达到的培养阶段,以及利用CTAB沉淀法相对定量发酵液荚膜多糖抗原产量的方法。通过紫外图谱观察的方法可对应Mccp生长曲线进行指导生产,大大节省传统颜色变化单位(color change unit, CCU)法的监测时间,提高了原肉眼观察方法的精确度。建立的CTAB沉淀法可在5 h内完成对CPS含量的监测,与传统的差值法相比大大缩短了时间,并且其准确度得到苯酚-硫酸法的验证。本研究优化的一种培养基和建立的两种相关性比较方法,可有效降低Mccp生产成本,提高生产效率,这些方法已在本实验室的研究阶段得到应用,为进一步改进CCPP灭活疫苗和荚膜多糖的生产工艺以及快速定量提供了实验数据。     

Enhancing xanthine oxidase fermentation with pH-shift strategy based on kinetic analysis by Arthrobacter M3

The effect of initial culture pH and inducer concentration on xanthine oxidase (XOD) fermentation in shake flasks was first carried out. The results showed that the optimum initial culture pH and inducer concentration were 8.6 and 3.6 g/l, respectively. Batch fermentation of XOD by Arthrobacter M3 in a 7.5-l fermentor was then tested under various pH conditions ranging from 7.6 to 8.6. Based on the analysis of the obtained kinetic parameters, a pH-shift strategy in batch fermentation was implemented to enhance the XOD fermentation. In this strategy, the initial culture pH was set at 8.6 without control and was maintained at 7.6 after the biomass reached 2.0 g/l DCW. XOD production (P) and final average yield coefficient for production on biomass (FAY_p/x) in this strategy reached 7,415.3 U/l and 1,229.7 U/g, respectively, which were significantly higher than the results from the other four protocols. In pH-shift batch fermentation, the Luedeking–Piret equation for product accumulation and the Luedeking–Piret-like equation for substrate consumption fit well with the experimental values. The correlation coefficients (R ²) of these two fitting curves were 0.977 and 0.992, respectively.     

Bacterial cellulose production by fed-batch fermentation in molasses medium

Batch and fed-batch fermentations for bacterial cellulose (BC) production using molasses as a carbon source by Acetobacter xylinum BPR2001 were carried out in a jar fermentor. For improvement of BC production, molasses was subjected to H2SO4-heat treatment. The maximum BC concentration by this treated molasses increased 76%, and the specific growth rate increased 2-fold compared with that by untreated molasses. In batch fermentation, when the initial sugar concentrations of H2SO4-heat-treated molasses were varied from 20 to 70 g/L, the highest value of maximum BC concentration of 5.3 g/L was observed at 20 g/L. BC production in intermittent fed-batch (IFB) fermentation was conducted referring to the data in batch fermentation, and the highest BC production of 7.82 g/L was obtained when 0.2 L of molasses medium was added five times. When continuous fed-batch (CFB) fermentations were conducted, maximum BC concentration was obtained with a feeding rate of 6.3 g-sugar/h, which was derived from the optimal IFB experiment.     

溶氧及pH对产朊假丝酵母分批发酵生产谷胱甘肽的影响

在7 L发酵罐中研究了溶氧和pH对产朊假丝酵母分批发酵生产谷胱甘肽的影响。结果表明,当葡萄糖浓度为30 g/L且通气量控制在5 L/min时,搅拌转速达到300 r/min即可满足细胞生长和谷胱甘肽合成对溶解氧的需求。不同pH控制方式对谷胱甘肽分批发酵的影响有较大差异。不控制pH时,细胞干重和谷胱甘肽产量比控制pH为55的发酵分别低27%和95%,且有50%的谷胱甘肽向胞外渗漏。研究了将pH控制在4.0、4.5、5.0、5.5、6.0和6.5的谷胱甘肽分批发酵过程,发现在pH 5.5时谷胱甘肽总产量最高。用前期研究建立的动力学模型模拟了不同pH (4.0～6.5)下的分批发酵过程,并从动力学角度解释了pH对细胞生长和谷胱甘肽合成的影响。     

Production of the fungal exopolysaccharide pullulan by batch-wise and continuous fermentation

A mutant strain of the deuteromycete Aureobasidium pullulans deficient in melanin synthesis was used to investigate the production of the exopolysaccharide pullulan and biomass, respectively. Shake-flask experiments with different carbon sources showed significant differences in pullulan elaboration. Sucrose was most suitable for pullulan synthesis among the carbon sources examined. Fermentations were carried out both batch-wise and continuously in a stirred vessel fermentator. In batch fermentations about 45% of the glucose offered was converted into pullulan at maximum formation rates of 0.16 g/l per hour using standard medium. The yield of polysaccharide could be maintained at 45% in continuous fermentations. At a dilution rate of 0.05 l/h, the formation rate of polysaccharide increased up to 0.35 g/l per hour. Alterations in the nitrogen content of the feed significantly affected the consumption rate of glucose and the production rate of polysaccharide, but final concentrations of biomass were hardly affected. Correspondence to: R. Schuster     

Biotechnological lycopene production by mated fermentation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blakeslea trispora</Emphasis>

A semi-industrial process (800-l fermentor) for lycopene production by mated fermentation of Blakeslea trispora plus (+) and minus (–) strains has been developed. The culture medium was designed at the flask scale, using a program based on a genetic algorithm; and a fermentation process by means of this medium was developed. Fermentation involves separate vegetative phases for (+) and (–) strains and inoculation of the production medium with a mix of both together. Feeding with imidazole or pyridine, molecules known to inhibit lycopene cyclase enzymatic activity, enhanced lycopene accumulation. Different raw materials and physical parameters, including dissolved oxygen, stirring speed, air flow rate, temperature, and pH, were checked in the fermentor to get maximum lycopene production. Typical data for the fermentation process are presented and discussed. This technology can be easily scaled-up to an industrial application for the production of this carotenoid nowadays widely in demand.     

Peat Hydrolysate Medium Optimization for Pullulan Production

Peat hydrolysate, a diluted acid-autoclaved extract of peat, was used as a substrate for the production of the extracellular polysaccharide pullulan by three strains of Aureobasidium pullulans, 140B, 142, and 2552. It was found that the addition of (NH₄)₂SO₄ and K₂HPO₄ as sources of nitrogen and phosphate, respectively, is not necessary for the polysaccharide production. The economically optimized culture medium for large-scale production of pullulan contains peat hydrolysate, 0.05% NaCl, 0.02% MgSO₄, and 0.01% antifoam FG-10. The initial pH of peat hydrolysate medium is adjusted to its optimum value of 6.0 with Ca(OH)₂. The total ingredient cost for the production of each kilogram of pullulan with optimized medium is only 1/10 of that with the nonoptimized medium. In this study, a zero cost for peat hydrolysate was assumed, since it is an effluent of the peat and peat processing industries.     

Pretreatment of beet molasses to increase pullulan production

Pretreatment of beet molasses with cation exchange resin, sulphuric acid, tricalcium phosphate, potassium ferrocyanide, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and disodium salt (EDTA) to increase the production of pullulan was investigated. Among the above techniques used for the removal of heavy metals, sulphuric acid treatment gave better results regarding polysaccharide concentration, polysaccharide yield, and sugar utilization. Aureobasidium pullulans grown on beet molasses produced a mixture of pullulan and other polysaccharides. The pullulan content of the crude polysaccharide was 30–35%. The addition of nutrients improved the production of polysaccharide. A maximum polysaccharide concentration (32·0±1·0 g litre⁻¹) was achieved in molasses solution (70 g litre ¹ initial sugar concentration, pH 6·5–7·5) treated with sulphuric acid and supplemented with K₂HPO₄ 0·5%, -glutamic acid 1%, olive oil 2·5% and Tween 80 0·5%. In this case, the highest values of biomass dry weight (33·8±1·0 g litre⁻¹), polysaccharide yield (63·5±2·5%), and sugar utilization (97·5±1·5%) were obtained at pH 6·5, 3·5, and 4·5–7·5, respectively.