Structure of Cyl-2, a Novel Cyclotetrapeptide from Cylindrocladium scoparium

Fermentative production of pyruvic acid by yeasts was studied using extracts from citrus natsudaidai peel as a carbon source. Many yeasts showed good growth. Of these yeasts, Debaryomyces coudertii IFO 1381 produced pyruvic acid at high yield. Pretreatment of the peel extract with Amberlite IR-120B (Na⁺) led to increased production of pyruvic acid. Under optimum conditions, the accumulation of pyruvic acid reached a maximum of 970 mg/100ml at 48 hr-fermentation. The pyruvic acid from the fermentation broth was identified with lactic acid dehydrogenase and by comparisons of properties of its 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone with those of authentic pyruvic acid in paper chromatography, IR spectrometry and elemental analysis.     

Production of endo-1,4-β-glucanase and xylanase by Trichoderma reesei immobilized on polyurethane foam

Summary Endo-1,4--glucanase and xylanase were produced by Trichoderma reesei immobilized on polyurethane foam using lactose as the main carbon source. The most porous carrier was found to be the best of those tested. The nitrogen source and KH₂PO₄ concentration of the production medium had a marked effect on culture pH during the course of fermentation and, consequently, on xylanase activity. An increase in lactose concentration from 7 to 27 g/l resulted in an increase in endoglucanase activity (max. 730 U/ml), xylanase activity (max. 3350 U/ml) and filter paper activity (max. 3.0 FPU/ml).     

Strategies for efficient repetitive production of succinate using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli AFP111, a pflB, ldhA, ptsG triple mutant of E. coli W1485, can be recovered for additional succinate production in fresh medium after two-stage fermentation (an aerobic growth stage followed by an anaerobic production stage). However, the specific productivity is lower than that of two-stage fermentation. In this study, three strategies were compared for reusing the cells. It was found when cells were aerobically cultivated at the end of two-stage fermentation without supplementing any carbon source, metabolites (mainly succinate and acetate) could be consumed. As a result, enzyme activities involved in the reductive arm of tricarboxylic acid cycle and the glyoxylate shunt were enhanced, yielding a succinate specific productivity above 1 2 5  \textmg  \textg_DCW ^{- 1}  \texth ^{- 1} 1 2 5\;{\text{mg}}\;{\text{g}}_{\rm DCW}^{ - 1} \,{\text{h}}^{ - 1} and a mass yield above 0.90 g g⁻¹ in the subsequent anaerobic fermentation. In addition, the intracellular NADH of cells subjected to aerobic cultivation with metabolites increased by more than 3.6 times and the ratio of NADH to NAD⁺ increased from 0.4 to 1.3, which were both favorable for driving the TCA branch to succinate.     

Optimization of antifungal lipopeptide production from Bacillus sp. BH072 by response surface methodology

Antifungal lipopeptide produced by Bacillus sp. BH072 was extracted from fermentation liquor and determined as iturin A by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). For industrial-scale production, the yield of iturin A was improved by optimizing medium components and fermentation conditions. A one-factor test was conducted; fermentation conditions were then optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) to obtain the following: temperature, 29.5°C; pH 6.45; inoculation quantity, 6.7%; loading volume, 100 ml (in 500 ml flasks); and rotary speed, 150 rpm. Under these conditions, the mass concentration of iturin A was increased from 45.30 mg/ml to 47.87 mg/ml. The following components of the medium were determined: carbon sources (glucose, fructose, sucrose, xylose, rhamnose, and soluble starch); nitrogen sources (peptone, soybean meal, NH₄Cl, urea, and ammonium citrate); and metal ions (Zn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ca²⁺, and K⁺). The effects of these components on iturin A production were observed in LB medium. We selected sucrose, soybean meal, and Mg²⁺ for RSM to optimize the conditions because of several advantages, including maximum iturin A production, high antifungal activity, and low cost. The optimum concentrations of these components were 0.98% sucrose, 0.94% soybean meal, and 0.93% Mg²⁺. After iturin A production was optimized by RSM, the mass concentration reached 52.21 mg/ml. The antifungal specific activity was enhanced from 350.11 AU/mg to 513.92 AU/mg, which was 46.8% higher than the previous result. The present study provides an important experimental basis for the industrial-scale production of iturin A and the agricultural applications of Bacillus sp. BH072.     

Production and biochemical characterization of xylanase from an alkalitolerant novel species Aspergillus niveus RS2

The novel fungus Aspergillus niveus RS2 isolated from rice straw showed relatively high xylanase production after 5 days of fermentation. Of the different xylan-containing agricultural by-products tested, rice husk was the best substrate; however, maximum xylanase production occurred when the organism was cultured on purified xylan. Yeast extract was found to be the best nitrogen source for xylanase production, followed by ammonium sulfate and peptone. The optimum pH for maximum enzyme production was 8 (18.2 U/ml); however, an appreciable level of activity was obtained at pH 7 (10.9 U/ml). Temperature and pH optima for xylanase were 50°C and 7.0, respectively; however the enzyme retained considerably high activity under high temperature (12.1 U/ml at 60°C) and high alkaline conditions (17.2 U/ml at pH 8 and 13.9 U/ml at pH 9). The enzyme was strongly inhibited by Hg²⁺, while Mn²⁺ was slight activator. The half-life of the enzyme was 48 min at 50°C. The enzyme was purified by 5.08-fold using carboxymethyl-sephadex chromatography. Zymogram analysis suggested the presence of a single candidate xylanase in the purified preparation. SDS-PAGE revealed a molecular weight of approximately 22.5 kDa. The enzyme had K _m and V _max values of 2.5 and 26 μmol/mg per minute, respectively.     

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.     

Large Scale Production of Erythritol and Its Conversion to d-Mannitol Production by n-Alkane-grown Candida zeylanoides

Production of erythritol by n-alkane-grown Candida zeylanoides KY6166 was studied using large scale fermentors under conditions described in the previous report. The medium-pH was kept below 4.0 during fermentation in 5-liter or 300-liter fermentors. This strain produced about 180mg/ml of meso-erythritol and a small amount of mannitol. The yield corresponded to 90% of n-alkane consumed.

The production ratio between erythritol and mannitol was affected remarkably by the concentration of phosphate in the medium. Keeping its concentration at high level (0.04 to 0.20 mg/ml as KH₂PO₄), erythritol production was almost entirely converted to mannitol production. The yield was 63 mg/ml after 100 hr incubation in 5-liter fermentor, which corresponded to 52% of n-alkane consumed. Conversion of the production of erythritol to mannitol was also observed in several other yeasts capable of utilizing n-alkane as the sole source of carbon.     

Physostigmine production byStreptomyces griseofuscus NRRL 5324: Process development and scale-up studies

A reliable and scalable fermentation process was developed for production of the acetylcholine esterase inhibitor physostigmine employingStreptomyces griseofuscus NRRL 5324. Initial fermentation in small-scale bioreactors reached physostigmine levels of approximately 60 mg L^–1 after 139 h. Optimization of both process operating parameters and production medium composition rapidly yielded a seven-fold increase in physostigmine titer. The scaled up process routinely produced physostigmine titers of approximately 400 mg L^–1 during a fermentation cycle of 180 h, and supported the rapid production of large amounts of physostigmine. A physostigmine production of 500 mg L^–1 representing an eight-fold improvement over the original performance, was achieved using a glucose/ammonium fed-batch process.     

Simultaneous production of propionic acid and vitamin B12 from corn stalk hydrolysates by Propionibacterium freudenreichii in an expanded bed adsorption bioreactor

Abstract

Vitamin B12 and propionic acid that were simultaneous produced by Propionibacterium freudenreichii are both favorable chemicals widely used in food preservatives, medicine, and nutrition. While the carbon source and propionic acid accumulation reflected fermentation efficiency. In this study, using corn stalk as a carbon source and fed-batch fermentation process in an expanded bed adsorption bioreactor was studied for efficient and economic biosynthesis of acid vitamin B12 and propionic. With liquid hot water pretreated corn stalk hydrolysates as carbon source, 28.65?mg L^?1 of vitamin B12 and 17.05?g L^?1 of propionic acid were attained at 168?h in batch fermentation. In order to optimize the fermentation outcomes, fed-batch fermentation was performed with hydrolyzed corn stalk in expanded bed adsorption bioreactor (EBAB), giving 47.6?mg L^?1 vitamin B12 and 91.4?g L^?1 of propionic acid at 258?h, which correspond to product yields of 0.37?mg g^?1 and 0.75?g g^?1, respectively. The present study provided a promising strategy for economically sustainable production of vitamin B12 and propionic acid by P. freudenreichii fermentation using biomass cornstalk as carbon source and expanded bed adsorption bioreactor.     

Production of cephamycin C by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces clavuligerus</Emphasis> NT4 using solid-state fermentation

Cephamycin C is an extracellular broad spectrum β-lactam antibiotic produced by Streptomyces clavuligerus, S. cattleya and Nocardia lactamdurans. In the present study, different substrates for solid-state fermentation were screened for maximum cephamycin C production by S. clavuligerus NT4. The fermentation parameters such as substrate concentration, moisture content, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, inoculum size and ammonium oxalate were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized conditions yielded 21.68 ± 0.76 mg gds⁻¹ of cephamycin C as compared to 10.50 ± 1.04 mg gds⁻¹ before optimization. Effect of various amino acids on cephamycin C production was further studied by using RSM, which resulted in increased yield of 27.41 ± 0.65 mg gds⁻¹.     

An effective and simplified scale-up strategy for acarbose fermentation based on the carbon source control

The scale-up strategy for acarbose fermentation by Actinoplanes sp. A56 was explored in this paper. The results obtained in shake-flask cultivation demonstrated that the ratio of maltose and glucose had significant effects on the biosynthesis of acarbose, and the feeding medium containing 3:1 (mass ratio) of maltose and glucose was favorable for acarbose production. Then the correlation of the carbon source concentration with acarbose production was further investigated in 100-l fermenter, and the results showed that 7.5–8.0 g of total sugar/100 ml and 4.0–4.5 g of reducing sugar/100 ml were optimal for acarbose production. Based on the results in 100-l fermenter, an effective and simplified scale-up strategy was successfully established for acarbose fermentation in a 30-m³ fermenter, by using total sugar and reducing sugar as the scale-up parameter. As a result, 4,327 mg of acarbose/l was obtained at 168 h of fermentation.     

虫草素高产菌株的筛选及不同添加物对虫草素产量的影响研究

通过对14株蛹拟青霉菌株进行摇瓶液体发酵培养试验,筛选虫草素产量最高的蛹虫草菌株,并确定了虫草素的最佳收获期;比较8种营养添加物对虫草发酵过程中虫草素积累的影响,筛选出最佳的营养添加物,以提高液体发酵生产虫草素的产量。结果表明：蛹虫草CM001号菌株的虫草素产量最高,蛹虫草菌在第10天细胞量达到最大值20.44mg/mL,虫草素含量在第13天达到最大值73.81mg/L,70%以上的虫草素分布在发酵液中。其中分别添加腺苷、腺嘌呤、丙氨酸、L-天冬氨酸、甘氨酸5种物质,对虫草素合成的促进作用均较明显,均能有效提高蛹虫草液体发酵虫草素的产量,特别是添加1g/L的腺嘌呤能使10号菌株的虫草素产量提高7.09倍。     

Production and purification of 2-phenylethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using tobacco waste extract as a substrate

2-phenylethanol (2-PE), which is extracted naturally from plant or biotechnology processing, is widely used in the food and cosmetics industries. Due to the high cost of 2-PE production, the valorization of waste carbon to produce 2-PE has gained increasing attention. Here, 2-PE was produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae using tobacco waste extract (TWE) as the substrate. Considering the toxicity of nicotine and its inhibition of 2-PE, the tolerance of S. cerevisiae was first evaluated. The results suggested that the production of 2-PE by S. cerevisiae in TWEs could be carried out at 2·0 mg ml⁻¹ nicotine concentrations and may be inhibited by 1·0 mg ml⁻¹ 2-PE. Thus, the compounds in the TWEs prepared at different temperatures were detected, and the results revealed that the TWEs prepared at 140°C contained 2·18 mg ml⁻¹ of nicotine, had total sugar concentrations of 26·8 mg ml⁻¹ and were suitable for 2-PE production. Due to feedback regulation, the 2-PE production was only 1·11 mg ml⁻¹, and the remaining glucose concentration remained at 13·78 mg ml⁻¹, which indicated insufficient glucose utilization. Then, in situ product recovery was further implemented to remove this inhibition; the glucose utilization (the remaining concentration decreased to 3·64 mg ml⁻¹) increased, and the 2-PE production increased to 1·65 mg ml⁻¹. The 2-PE produced in the fermentation broth was first isolated by elution from the resin with 75% ethanol and then by removing the impurities with 2·5% activated charcoal, and pure 2-PE was identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The results of this study suggest that TWE could be an alternative carbon source for 2-PE production. This could provide an outlet tobacco waste as well as reducing the price of natural 2-PE, although more strategies need to be explored to improve the production yield of 2-PE by using TWE.     

Intra- and extra-cellular organophosphorus hydrolase production with recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> using fed-batch fermentation

A fed-batch fermentation process for the production of organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) (EC 3.1.8.1) by E. coli pET812 was developed in this research. With batch fermentation, the maximum OPH concentrations attained by batch fermentation were as low as 4 × 10⁵ U/l because cell growth and OPH production were inhibited by a high initial concentration of glucose. To develop a fed-batch fermentation process for obtaining higher concentrations of OPH, highly concentrated glucose solution (500 g/l) was added intermittently or continuously to increase the carbon source concentration. Eventually, 3.2 × 10⁶ U/l of OPH was produced with fed-batch fermentation in 24 h. This was eight times higher than the yield with conventional batch fermentation. A total concentration of 399–441 mg of OPH was produced/l, which was four times higher than that reported when using E. coli. Nearly half (44%) of the produced OPH was secreted into the culture solution.     

Opimization of Conditions for Production of Uridine by a Mutant of Bacillus subtilis

This work was designed to examine culture variables influencing the production of uridine by the Bacillus subtilis mutant No. 556. A combination of corn steep liquor (4%) + corn gluten meal (0.7%) + urea (2%) was the most suitable nitrogen source for the production of uridine; a high level of ammonium ions in the medium brought about abundant cell growth in the early stage of incubation and was detrimental to the fermentation. The addition of calcium salts, such as CaCO₃ and CaCl₂, was also essential for obtaining high yields of uridine. Among the carbon sources tested, glucose gave the best result. The optimum temperature and oxygen transfer rate for producing uridine were around 38°C and 20 × 10^?7 mol O₂/min/ml, respectively. Under optimum conditions in a 6000-liter fermentor, strain No. 556 produced 65mg/ml of uridine from 18% glucose.     

Optimization of polyhydroxybutyrate production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus</Emphasis> sp. CFR 256 with corn steep liquor as a nitrogen source

Polyhydroxyalkanotes (PHAs), the eco-friendly biopolymers produced by many bacteria, are gaining importance in curtailing the environmental pollution by replacing the non-biodegradable plastics derived from petroleum. The present study was carried out to economize the polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production by optimizing the fermentation medium using corn steep liquor (CSL), a by-product of starch processing industry, as a cheap nitrogen source, by Bacillus sp. CFR 256. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the fermentation medium using the variables such as corn steep liquor (5–25 g l⁻¹), Na₂HPO₄ 2H₂O (2.2–6.2 g l⁻¹), KH₂PO₄ (0.5–2.5 g l⁻¹), sucrose (5–55 g l⁻¹) and inoculum concentration (1–25 ml l⁻¹). Central composite rotatable design (CCRD) experiments were carried out to study the complex interactions of the variables. The optimum conditions for maximum PHB production were (g l⁻¹): CSL-25, Na₂HPO₄ 2H₂O-2.2, KH₂PO₄ − 0.5, sucrose − 55 and inoculum − 10 (ml l⁻¹). After 72 h of fermentation, the amount of PHA produced was 8.20 g l⁻¹ (51.20% of dry cell biomass). It is the first report on optimization of fermentation medium using CSL as a nitrogen source, for PHB production by Bacillus sp.     

Accumulation of Nucleic Acid-related Substances by Microorganisms

The induction of adenosine-producing mutants from an inosine-producing mutant previously derived from a Bacillus strain was attempted, and it was found out that the xanthine-requiring mutants lacking of adenase produce a large amount of adenosine.

The outline of the processes for the derivation of these mutants was described. Main product of these mutants was adenosine, and the culture broth contained a little amount of adenine as a by-product.

The culture conditions optimal for the production of adenosine were investigated, and the yield of adenosine in the culture broth was more than 16 mg/ml.     

Cauliflower waste incorporation into cane molasses improves ethanol production using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> MTCC 178

Diluted cane molasses having total sugar and reducing sugar content of 9.60 and 3.80% (w/v) respectively was subjected to ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 178. Incorporation of dried Cauliflower Waste (CW) in molasses at the level of 15 % increased ethanol production by nearly 36 % compared to molasses alone. Addition of 0.2 % yeast extract improved ethanol production by nearly 49 % as compared to molasses alone. When the medium containing diluted molasses and 0.2 % yeast extract was supplemented with 15 % CW, 29 % more ethanol was produced compared to molasses with 0.2 % yeast extract. Cell biomass, ethanol production, final ethanol concentration and fermentation efficiency of 2.65 mg mL⁻¹, 41.2 gL⁻¹, 0.358 gg⁻¹ and 70.11 % respectively were found to be best at 15% CW supplementation level besides reduction in fermentation time but further increase in CW level resulted in decline on account of all the above parameters. This is probably the first report to our knowledge, in which CW was used in enhancing ethanol production significantly using a small quantity of yeast extract.     

Studies of nucleosides and nucleotides.: LVIII. Deamination of adenosine analogs with calf intestine adenosine deaminase

Several synthetic adeonosine analogs: 8-fluoro-, 8-azido-, 8-iodo-, 8-methylthioadenosine; 8-bromo-2′-deoxyadenosine, 8-bromoxylofuranosyladenine, 5′-benzoly-8-bromoadenosine; 8,2′-S-, 8,2′-O-, 8,2′-NH-, 8,2′-N-CH₃-, 8,3′,-S-, 8,3′-O-, 8,5′-S- and 8,5′O-cycloadenosine; 1-deaza- and 3-deazaadenosine, as well as tubercidine (7-deazaadenosine), were tested as substrates of calf intestine adenosine deaminase.It was found that the adenine base of adenosine should be in the range φ_rmCN = 0–120° (anti to syn-anti) and 8-fluoroadenosine was hydroylzed very slowly. The purine base should have N¹, N³ or N⁷ atoms for the hydrolysis and only 1-deazaadenosine revealed an inhibitory effect toward the hydrolysis of adenosine.5′-OH group should be in the position of S-configuration and must not be substituted.     

Comparison of adenosine metabolism in leaves of several mangrove plants and a poplar species

A possible increased demand for ATP in salt- tolerant mangrove plants was studied by the comparison of metabolic fates of [8-¹⁴C] adenosine in leaf disks of several mangrove plants and of poplar. In mangrove trees, Rhizophora stylosa, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Kandelia candel and Sonneratia alba, 56–92% of [8-¹⁴C]adenosine taken up by leaf disks was converted during 3 h incubation to salvage products, i.e., nucleotides and RNA. Synthesis of nucleotides including ATP was stimulated by salt stress induced by 250 mM NaCl. In leaf disks of Avicennia marina, a mangrove shrub that produces glycinebetaine as compatible solutes, 46% of radioactivity entered salvage products when [8-¹⁴C] adenosine was continuously supplied to the leaf disks. Hydrolysis of adenosine to adenine was extremely active in this mangrove shrub. This is probably due to the high activity of adenosine nucleosidase (EC 3.2.2.7). In leaf disks of another mangrove shrub, Lumnitzera racemosa, only limited amounts of [8-¹⁴C]adenosine were metabolised (< ca. 30% taken up by leaf disks), but synthesis of ATP and ADP was stimulated by salt stress. In Pemphis acidula leaf disks, adenosine salvage activity was low and more than 30% of adenosine was hydrolysed to adenine. In leaf disks of poplar, a non-salt-resistant plant, ca. 40% of [8-¹⁴C] adenosine was converted to salvage products during 3 h of incubation, but the rate was slightly reduced by treatment with 250 mM NaCl. The present results suggest that large mangrove trees generally have efficient adenosine salvage ability, which is stimulated by salt. Lesser salvage activity is found in small size mangrove shrubs, although salt generally still enhances salvage activity.