Citric acid fermentation by the mutant strain of theAspergillus niger resistant to manganese ions inhibition

Summary A new mutant strain,Aspergillus niger GS-III, showing resistance to manganese ions inhibition of citric acid fermentation on a sugarcane molasses containing medium was induced fromAspergillus niger KCU 520, a high citric acid-yielding strain. In submerged, surface or continuous cultures in the presence of manganese ions concentration upto 1.5 ppm the mutant strain yielded citric acid about 90 KgM^–3 . The citric acid yield was comparable to that obtained with the parental strain KCU 520 in the absence of manganese ions, but it was atleast 3-fold higher than that obtained by the latter in the presence of manganese ions. The mutant strain immobilized in calcium alginate beads was used in combination with surface-stabilized cultures for about 36-days in a continuous flow horizontal fermenter without any apparent loss in citric acid productivity. These results indicate that the manganese-resistant mutant is stable and may be used in the presence of sufficient manganese ions concentration (1.5 ppm) in the fermentation medium. This capability of the mutant strainA. niger GS-III has been correlated with greatly reduced levels (about one-thirds) of the NADP⁺ -isocitric dehydrogenase, one of the control points for citric acid accumulation.