Antifungal activity of cysteine,its effect on C-21 oxygenated lanosterol derivatives and other lipids in Inonofus obliquus,in vitro

The antifungal activity of cysteine (2-amino-3-mercaptopropionic acid) on mycelial growth and the production of lanosterol, 3,-hydroxy-lanosta-8,24-dien-21-al, 3,-21,dihydroxy-lanosta-8,24-diene, trametenolic acid and ergosterol were investigated in solid and liquid cultures ofInonotus obliquus at cysteine concentrations of 0.9 and 9.0 mm by means of thinlayer chromatography densitometry. Cysteine elicited the production of ergosterol in all the cultures and at a concentration of 0.9 mm distinctly elicited the production of 3,-hydroxy-lanosta-8,24-dien-21-al. At 9.0 mm, cysteine had greater antifungal activity than at 0.9 mm, decreasing growth and the production of metabolities.     

Effects of free long-chain fatty acids on thermophilic anaerobic digestion

Summary Low concentrations of the long-chain fatty acids oleate and stearate inhibited all steps of the anaerobic thermophilic biogas process during digestion of cattle manure. The lag phase increased when the concentrations of oleate and stearate were 0.2 g/l and 0.5 g/l, respectively, and no growth was found at concentrations of 0.5 g/l for oleate and 1.0 g/l for stearate. The toxic effect of these acids was permanent as growth did not occur when inhibited cultures were diluted to a non-inhibitory concentration. No adaptation to the fatty acids toxicity was observed by pre-exposing the cultures to non-inhibitory concentrations and the inhibitory response was the same as for cultures not pre-exposed to the fatty acids. Oleate was less inhibitory when added as a neutral oil in the form of the glycerol ester. This indicates that it is the free fatty acid that influences the bacterial activity. Correspondence to: B. K. Ahring     

Mycelial growth of strains of the genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Suillus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Boletinus</Emphasis> in media with a wide range of concentrations of carbon and nitrogen sources

Suillus and Boletinus were studied using Ohta medium. In media with glucose or trehalose, all tested strains grew well. With mannose and cellobiose, strains generally grew well, except for one strain of Suillus. Utilization of dextrin and soluble starch differed with each strain, and that of sucrose and glycerol was low for all strains. Utilization of four amino acids, arginine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and alanine, was similar to that of ammonium tartrate for Suillus strains, but mycelial growth with amino acids was clearly lower than with ammonium tartrate for the Boletinus strain. The effect of glucose and ammonium tartrate concentrations for nine strains of the genera Suillus and Boletinus was studied with ranges for glucose of 1–100 and 200g/l, respectively, and for ammonium tartrate of 0.2–5 and 20g/l, respectively. Six strains showed maximal growth at a glucose concentration greater than 25g/l, and one strain showed maximal growth at 70g/l. The results indicate that these fungi are adapted to relatively high concentrations of carbon sources. In general, glucose concentration at mycelial growth maximum decreased as ammonium tartrate concentration increased, and at higher concentrations of glucose, mycelial growth decreased more rapidly in higher concentrations of ammonium tartrate.     

The expression of the Cuphea palustris thioesterase CpFatB2 in Yarrowia lipolytica triggers oleic acid accumulation

The conversion of industrial by‐products into high‐value added compounds is a challenging issue. Crude glycerol, a by‐product of the biodiesel production chain, could represent an alternative carbon source for the cultivation of oleaginous yeasts. Here, we developed five minimal synthetic glycerol‐based media, with different C/N ratios, and we analyzed the production of biomass and fatty acids by Yarrowia lipolytica Po1g strain. We identified two media at the expense of which Y. lipolytica was able to accumulate ～5 g L^?1 of biomass and 0.8 g L^?1 of fatty acids (0.16 g of fatty acids per g of dry weight). These optimized media contained 0.5 g L^?1 of urea or ammonium sulfate and 20 g L^?1 of glycerol, and were devoid of yeast extract. Moreover, Y. lipolytica was engineered by inserting the FatB2 gene, coding for the CpFatB2 thioesterase from Cuphea palustris, in order to modify the fatty acid composition towards the accumulation of medium‐chain fatty acids. Contrary to the expected, the expression of the heterologous gene increased the production of oleic acid, and concomitantly decreased the level of saturated fatty acids. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:26–35, 2016     

Microbial Conversion of DL-5-Substituted Hydantoins to the Corresponding L-Amino Acids by Pseudomonas sp. Strain NS671

A bacterial strain, NS671, which converts DL-5-(2-methylthioethyl)hydantoin stereospecifically to L-methionine, was isolated from soil and was classified into the genus Pseudomonas. With growing cells of Pseudomonas sp. strain NS671, DL-5-(2-methylthioethyl)hydantoin was effectively converted to L-methionine. Under adequate conditions, 34g of L-methionine per liter was produced with a molar yield of 93% from DL-5-(2-methylthioethyl)hydantoin added successively. In addition to L-methionine, other amino acids such as L-valine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine, and L-phenylalanine were also produced from the corresponding 5- substituted hydantoins, but these L-amino acids produced were partially consumed by strain NS671. The hydantoinase, by which 5-substituted hydantoin rings are opened, was ATP-dependent. The N-carbamylamino acid amidohydrolase was found to be strictly L-specific, and its activity was inhibited by high concentration of ATP.     

Formation of ethanol and higher alcohols by immobilized zymomonas mobilis in continuous culture

Cells of Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 10988 were immobilized in 1.5% calcium alginate and packed in a column bioreactor for a series of fermentations utilizing 10.0% glucose media with the addition of one of the following amino acids or keto acids: L-leucine, L-isoleucine, L-valine, α-ketoisocaproic acid, α-ketobutyric acid, or α-ketoisovaleric acid. This was done in order to study the rates of production of higher alcohols during ethanolic fermentations at varying dilution rates while under the influence of amino acids or keto acids. Results indicate that the EHRLICH mechanism is operative in Zymomonas sp. α-Ketobutyrate enhanced the production of n-propanol and act-amyl alcohol. α-Ketoisocaproic acid stimulated the production of isoamyl alcohol. α-Ketoisovaleric acid increased the levels of isobutanol. The amino acids also gave rise to their corresponding alcohols but to a far lesser degree than did the keto acids. During high glucose utilization, ethanol yields ranged from 87% to 94% of theoretical with productivity ranging from 60.08 g/l/h in one fermentation (at a dilution rate of 1.35 h^?1) to 70.42 g/l/h in another (at a dilution rate of 1.58 h^?1). At dilution rates of 1.58 h^?1, higher alcohol productivity rose to as high as 4,313 mg/l/h in the presence of α-ketoisocaproic acid, 1,734.49 mg/l/h using α-ketoisovaleric acid, and 1,618.05 mg/l/h in α-ketobutyric acid. The concomitant production of ethanol and higher alcohols in all of the fermentations indicates that glucose is required for the production of the higher alcohols from their corresponding amino acids or keto acids.     

Nature of the Nitrogen Compounds Supporting Phototrophic Growth of the Marine Cryptomonad Hemiselmis virescens*

SYNOPSIS. Previous claims of a specific amino add-nitrogen requirement for growth of Hemiselmis virescens have been disproved. The photosynthetic cryptomonad grows well on ammonium ion (at subtoxic concentrations) as sole N-source but cannot utilize nitrate-or nitrite-N. Although the organism utilizes glycine efficiently, other amino acids are poor N-sources, and only L-glutamine, L-cysteine, L-cystine, and L-tryptophan gave evidence of limited growth. Glycine peptides, derivatives (sarcosine, hippuric acid), and homologous relatives (β-alanine, taurine) gave no growth. Among other amino compounds tested, only D-glucosamine and D-galactosamine supported some growth. Urea and some of its derivatives (alloxan, parabanic acid) were efficiently utilized, while other derivatives (biuret, guanidine, hydantoin, hydantoic acid, allantoin, creatinine) failed to support growth. All purines tested (adenine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, guanine, uric acid) gave moderate to good growth, while the pyrimidines cytosine, uracil, thymine were not utilized. No dark growth was obtained from any of the compounds supporting phototrophic growth. The capacity for efficient utilization of glycine, urea, and some of the purines may have ecologic significance.     

Production of Dihomo-γ-Linolenic Acid by a Δ5-Desaturase-Defective Mutant of Mortierella alpina 1S-4

A mutant, which has low Δ5-desaturase activity, of an arachidonic acid-producing fungus, Mortierella alpina 1S-4, was shown to be a novel potent producer of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DHGA). On submerged culture under optimal conditions for 6 days at 28°C in a 10-liter fermentor, the mutant produced 3.2 g of DHGA per liter of culture broth (123 mg/g of dry mycelia), which accounted for 23.4% of the total mycelial fatty acids. Mycelial arachidonic acid amounted to only 19 mg/g of dry mycelia (0.5 g/liter of culture broth), which accounted for 3.7% of the total mycelial fatty acids. The other major mycelial fatty acids were palmitic acid (11.0%), stearic acid (12.8%), oleic acid (22.7%), linoleic acid (8.9%), γ-linolenic acid (6.5%), and lignoceric acid (7.8%). More than 97 mol% of the DHGA produced was found in the triglyceride fraction irrespective of the growth temperature employed (12 to 28°C).     

Structure of Rugulovasine A,B and their Derivatives

Culture conditions for the preparation of cells containing high tyrosine phenol lyase activity were studied with Erwinia herbicola ATCC 21434. Adding pyridoxine to the medium enhanced enzyme formation, suggesting that it was utilized as a precursor of the coenzyme, pyridoxal phosphate. Glycerol plus succinic acid; amino acids, such as, DL-methionine, DL-alanine and glycine; and metallic ion, ferrous ion promoted enzyme formation as well as cell growth. Adding L-tyrosine, as inducer, to the culture medium was essential for enzyme formation. However, when large amounts of L-tyrosine were added, the enzyme formation was repressed by the phenol liberated from L-tyrosine. In fact, formation of the enzyme was enhanced by removing phenol during cultivation. L(D)-Phenylalanine or phenylpyruvic acid had a synergistic effect on the induction of enzyme by L-tyrosine.

Cells with high enzyme activity were prepared by growing cells at 28°C for 28 hr in a medium containing 0.2% L-tyrosine, 0.2% KH₂PO₄, 0.1% MgSO₄7H₂O, 0.001% FeSO_4·7H₂O, 0.01% pyridoxine-HC1, 0.6% glycerol, 0.5% succinic acid, 0.1% DL-methionine, 0.2% DL-alanine, 0.05% glycine, 0.1% L-phenylalanine and 120 ml/liter hydrolyzed soybean protein in tap water with the pH controlled at 7.5 throughout cultivation.     

Intracellular Proteases of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and a Protease-Deficient Mutant Btk-q

The commencement of intracellular protease synthesis was studied by gelatin zymography in Bacillus thuringiensis (Btk) HD1, Btk HD73, and a protease-deficient mutant Btk-q derived from the former strain. By gelatin zymography, a 92-kDa protease was detected first at 3 h of sporulation, which continued until 48 h, whereas two other proteases of mol wt 78 and 69 kDa were detectable from 6 h onwards and continued until 48 h of growth in Btk HD1. Similar studies revealed the presence of two major intracellular proteases in Btk HD73 by gelatin zymography, which first appeared at 6 h of sporulation and continued until 48 h of growth. The quantitative azocasein assay confirmed that the total protease activity increases from 3 to 21 h, thereafter reaching a plateau up to 48 h of growth examined, in HD1 and HD73 strains. Btk-q, a protease-deficient mutant, showed traces of protease activity by azocasein analysis that could not be detected by gelatin zymography. The free amino acid pool content was also increased parallel to the way that the protease activity increased in all three strains. However, this increase was found to be low (16-fold) in Btk-q when compared with Btk HD1 and HD73 strains. The following amino acids were detected by paper chromatography in Btk HD1: DL-alanine, L-glutamic acid, L-aspartic acid, tyrosine, tryptophan/methionine/valine, arginine, leucine/norleucine/isoleucine, and glycine, whereas only DL-alanine, L-glutamic acid, and L-aspartic acid were in Btk-q at 24 and 48 h, when the protease activity was maximum. Received: 4 January 2002 / Accepted: 6 March 2002     

A novel Ganoderma lucidum G0119 fermentation strategy for enhanced triterpenes production by statistical process optimization and addition of oleic acid

A novel enhanced triterpenes fermentation production process by Ganoderma lucidum G0119 with the addition of oleic acid in the medium has been developed and optimized. All of the six exogenous additives tested were found to exhibit stimulatory effect on mycelial growth and triterpenes biosynthesis by G. lucidum. The results show that oleic acid addition had significant role in promoting triterpenes production. The optimal concentration and time of oleic acid addition were determined to be 30 mL/L and 0 h, respectively. Furthermore, three significant factors influencing triterpenes production were identified as glucose, magnesium sulfate and temperature using the Plackett–Burman design. The optimized conditions by central composite design were 27.83 g/L glucose, 1.32 g/L magnesium sulfate, 26.2°C temperature. The triterpenes fermentation yield with the optimized medium based on actual confirmatory experimental data in 6 L fermentor was 1.076 g/L versus the statistical model predicted value of 1.080 g/L. Our innovatively developed triterpenes fermentation production technology and process has been proven to produce high triterpenes productivity and yield conceivably useful for industrial production.     

Production of fatty acids and lipid by a Candida sp. growing on a fraction of n-alkanes predominating in tridecane

A Candida sp. was grown on a fraction of n-alkanes (dodecane 22%, tridecane 48%, tetradecane 28%) as sole carbon source. The growth rate was increased most markedly by using high concentrations of n-alkanes (16.7% v/v). When grown in a 5 liter fermentor, the yeast reached its highest yield (60 g. of cell dry wt/l) with a concomitant high yield of fatty acids (21 g of fatty acids/l), by using a nitrogen-deficient medium. To achieve good growth, it was essential to use an inoculum (1 part into 10) of rapidly growing cells and beneficial to increase the agitation rate gradually once growth had begun. After 108 hr maximum conversions of substrate to product were: 71.5% (w/w) for alkanes into cells and 24.8% (w/w) for alkanes into fatty acids. Of the, total fatty acids at the end of the fat-accumulating phase of growth 54% were shorter in chain length than palmitic acid (C₁₆H₃₂O₂). When grown on glucose, as sole carbon source, less than 2% of the total fatty acids were shorter than palmitic acid. When n-alkanes were added to cells growing on glucose, short-chain fatty acids (C₁₀ to C₁₄) were synthesized immediately, indicating a derepressed enzyme system for hydrocarbon assimilation and the absence of diauxie. The production of these acids was at the apparent sacrifice of linoleic acid synthesis. In spite of the high conversion ratios, it is concluded that it would be uneconomical to produce fatty acids, even expensive ones such as lauric acid, by microbial transformation of n-alkanes.     

The effect of lipids and temperature on the physiology and growth ofVolvariella volvacea

Vegetable oils promoted mycelial growth ofVolvariella volvacea. Ethyl esters of major components of saponified fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid) from vegetable oils were stimulatory. The stimulatory effect of these fatty acids varied with concentration and degree of unsaturation; relatively high concentrations being inhibitory. Mycelial growth appears to be promoted by low concentrations of fatty acids. Supplementation of growth medium with sunflower oil altered membrane permeability and this resulted in an increased uptake of glucose. The total mycelial lipids accounted for only 30% of consumed lipids, the remainder being metabolized. The failure of the fungus to adjust the degree of unsaturation in membrane lipids when it was transferred to 0°C may partially explain its susceptibility to chilling injury.     

Formation and degradation of lipid bodies found in the riboflavin-producing fungus Ashbya gossypii

Microdroplets in the hyphae of Ashbya gossypii were found to become stained by Nile red. Purification of the stainable substance showed that the yellow fluorescent bodies consisted of triacylglycerol. During growth on glucose as the carbon source 8%–12% of the mycelial dry weight was found to be neutral lipid. When glucose declined in the medium, the content decreased to 3%–4% and the respiration quotient shifted to 0.6 indicating a reserve function of the fat. The fatty acid composition of the storage lipid was found to be strongly influenced by the carbon source. Mycelia cultivated on glucose contained 5% linoleic acid and 20% palmitoleic acid in their neutral fat while linoleic acid made up 54% and palmitoleic acid was not detectable (< 0.1%) in soybean-oil-grown mycelia. When plant oil was given as the sole carbon source, the fatty acid composition of the storage lipid showed a high similarity to the fed fat. ¹⁴C-labelled free oleic acid added to a culture growing on soybean oil was immediately incorporated into the fungal lipid. A pulse of 0.9 g/l free palmitoleic acid, fed during growth on olive oil, increased the content of this particular fatty acid in the fungal triacylglycerol from 0.8% to 9.6%. In addition, a liberation of free fatty acid and diacylglyceride was found in the culture supernatant when pure triolein was given as the sole carbon source. Obviously, the fungus cleaved the lipid serving as the carbon source extracellularly and used the liberated fatty acids for its storage lipid formation.This paper is dedicated to Prof. Dr. F. Wagner on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Optimization of biomass and fatty acid productivity of Scenedesmus obliquus as a promising microalga for biodiesel production

Nowadays, microalgae are discussed as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production. The present study examines the possibility of enhancement of fatty acid productivity of Scenedesmus obliquus by modifications of the culture medium composition. The effect of different concentrations of sodium bicarbonate, salinity, potassium nitrate, glycerol and sugarcane molasses on the enhancement of biomass and esterified fatty acids production was studied. NaHCO₃ caused an increase in the biomass productivity at low concentrations (0.5 g L^?1), while negatively affected fatty acid productivity at all tested concentrations. Increase of salinity enhanced both biomass and fatty acid productivity. The optimum NaCl concentration and sea water ratio were 0.94 g L^?1 and 25 % which resulted in 56 and 39 % increase in fatty acid productivity, respectively. Nitrogen deficiency showed increase in fatty acid content by 54 % over control but fatty acid productivity was decreased as a result of growth inhibition. Nitrogen-free cultures and cultures treated with ?50 % concentrations of KNO₃ showed 96 and 42 % decrease in EFA productivity, respectively, as compared with the control. Addition of 0.05 and 0.1 M of glycerol increased the biomass productivity by 6 and 5 %, respectively but showed no significant effect on fatty acid productivity as a result of decrease in fatty acid content. Finally, usage of sugarcane molasses stimulated both biomass and fatty acid content. The increase in fatty acid productivity was 32, 65 and 73 % above the control level at 1, 3 and 5 g L^?1 of sugarcane molasses, respectively.     

Effect of growth temperature on lipid fatty acids of four fungi (Aspergillus niger,Neurospora crassa,Penicillium chrysogenum,andTrichoderma reesei)

The effect of growth temperature on the lipid fatty acid composition was studied over a temperature range from 35 to 10° C with 5° C intervals in four exponentially growing fungi: Aspergillus niger, Neurospora crassa, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Trichoderma reesei. Fatty acid unsaturation increased in A. niger, P. chrysogenum, and T. reesei when the temperature was lowered to 20–15, 20, and 26–20° C, respectively. In A. niger and T. reesei, this was due to the increase in linolenic acid content. In P. chrysogenum, the linolenic acid content increased concomitantly with a more pronounced decrease in the less-unsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, and in palmitic and linoleic acids; consequently, the fatty acid content decreased as the temperature was lowered to 20° C. In T. reesei, when the growth temperature was reduced below 26–20° C, fatty acid unsaturation decreased since the mycelial linolenic acid content decreased. In A. niger and P. chrysogenum, the mycelial fatty acid content increased greatly at temperatures below 20–15° C. In contrast, in N. crassa, fatty acid unsaturation was nearly temperature-independent, although palmitic and linoleic acid contents clearly decreased when the temperature was lowered between 26 and 20° C; concomitantly, the growth rate decreased. Therefore, large differences in the effects of growth temperature on mycelial fatty acids were observed among various fungal species. However, the similarities found may indicate common regulatory mechanisms causing the responses. Received: 1 March 1995 / Accepted: 8 May 1995     

The effect of sodium propionate and sodium caprylate on the fatty acid content of Trichophyton rubrum

Summary From a metabolic point of view, sodium propionate and sodium caprylate in sub-fungistatic concentrations, manifest some interesting effects upon the metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and pigmentogenesis ofTrichophyton rubrum in its earlier growth phases.Propionate at the higher concentration and caprylate inhibit growth as measured by mycelial dry weight.The higher concentration of propionate suppressed pigment production but a yellow pigment, apparently differing from others previously described, was observed consistently in cultures with the lower concentration of the salt.Caprylate in the concentration tested resulted in a culture in which fatty acid concentration was significantly decreased, however, there appears to be no correlation between fatty acid content depression and mycelial dry weight.Data on fatty acid composition suggest that propionate, an odd-numbered carbon chain fatty acid, diverts synthesis of even-numbered carbon chain fatty acids to the odd-numbered ones.     

Is the Profile of Fatty Acids,Tocopherols, and Amino Acids Suitable to Differentiate Pinus armandii Suspicious to Be Responsible for the Pine Nut Syndrome from Other Pinus Species?

Pinus armandii is suspicious to be responsible for the Pine Nut Syndrome, a long lasting bitter and metallic taste after the consumption of pine nuts. To find chemical characteristic features for the differentiation of P. armandii from other Pinus species, 41 seed samples of the genus Pinus from 22 plant species were investigated regarding the content and the composition of fatty acids, tocopherols, and amino acids. The predominant fatty acids in the seed oils were linoleic acid (35.2 – 58.2 g/100 g), oleic acid (14.6 – 48.5 g/100 g), and pinolenic acid (0.2 – 22.4 g/100 g), while the vitamin‐E‐active compounds were dominated by γ‐tocopherol. The amino acid composition was mainly characterized by arginine and glutamic acid with amounts between 0.9 and 8.9 g/100 g as well as 2.1 g/100 g and 8.3 g/100 mg. On the basis of this investigation, a Principle Component Analysis has been used to identify the most important components for the differentiation of P. armandii from other Pinus species. Using the data for glutamic acid, 20:2Δ^5,11, 18:3Δ^5,9,12, 18:1Δ⁹, and oil content, a classification of the 41 samples into four different groups by cluster analysis was possible, but the characteristic features of P. armandii were too close to some other members of the genus Pinus, making a clear differentiation of this species difficult. Nevertheless, the investigation showed the similarities of different members of the genus Pinus with regard to fatty acids, vitamin‐E‐active compounds, and amino acids.     

Constitutional Amino Acids of the Antibiotic YA–56

Acid hydrolysis of the antibiotic YA-56 X (Zorbamycin) and Y belonging to the phleomycin-bleomycin group was carried out and the following constitutional amino acids were isolated from the hydrolyzate of YA–56 X: β-Amino-β-(4-amino-6-carboxy-5-methylpyrimidine-2-yl)- propionic acid, β-aminoalanine, L-erythro-β-hydroxyhistidine and 3 unidentified amino acids. Though the former 3 amino acids were known to be constituents of phleomycins and bleomycins, the latter three were not found in phleomycins and bleomycins. YA–56 Y gave one more unidentified amino acid.

Furthermore, isolation of β-alanine and 2-acetylthiazole-4-carboxylic acid from the hydrolyzate indicated the presence of 2-(2-(2-aminoethyl)-Δ²-thiazoline-4-yl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid in YA–56 X and Y as in phleomycins.     

Integrated development of fermentation and downstream processing or L-isoleucine production with Corynebacterium glutamicum

 Applying a genetic algorithm for the optimization of trace element composition in the medium for L-isoleucine production from glucose and DL-α-hydroxybutyric acid with Corynebacterium glutamicum resulted in a reduction of the byproduct L-valine. High L-isoleucine broth concentrations of 20 g/l within 72 h at an L-isoleucine/DL-α-hydroxy butyric acid yield of 70% (w/w) and an L-isoleucine/L-valine ratio of 100 were achieved, if closed-loop control of glucose and of DL-α-hydroxybutyric acid was applied. For the isolation of L-isoleucine from fermentation broth a specific downstream processing was developed and optimized up to semitechnical scale (ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, first crystallization, active-carbon adsorption, electrodialysis, second crystallization). The economic model of this downstream processing, which was identified by coupling the mass balance and energy balance with the semi-empirical models of the unit operations, was used to quantify the isolation costs as a function of L-isoleucine concentration and L-isoleucine/L-valine ratio in the fermentation broth. A cost reduction for downstream processing from DM 55 to DM 25 (kg L-isoleucine)^-1 and an improvement of the L-isoleucine yield in downstream processing from 48% to 80% was achieved using this economic model as the objective function to be minimized by the fermentation process (scenario: production of 70 tonnes L-isoleucine/year). Received: 8 January 1996/Received revision: 22 April 1996/Accepted: 29 April 1996