Continuous itaconic acid production by immobilized biocatalysts.

The continuous itaconic acid production from sucrose with Aspergillus terreus TKK 200-5-3 mycelium immobilized on polyurethane foam cubes was optimized in column bioreactors using statistical experimental design and empirical modelling. The highest itaconic acid product concentration calculated on the basis of the obtained model was 15.8 g l-1 in the investigated experimental area, when sucrose concentration was 13.5%, aeration rate 150 ml min-1 and residence time 178 h. From sucrose with immobilized A. terreus TKK 200-5-3 mycelium itaconic acid production was stable for at least 4.5 months in continuous column bioreactors. In comparison, using glucose as substrate and immobilized A. terreus TKK 200-5-1 mycelium as biocatalyst similar stability was obtained with higher product concentration. The omission of copper sulphate from the production medium gave the highest itaconic acid product concentration (26 g l-1) from 9% glucose with 0.25% ammonium nitrate and 0.095% magnesium sulphate.     

Itaconic acid production by immobilized Aspergillus terreus with varied metal additions

Summary The effect of trace and alkaline metals on itaconic acid production by polyurethane-foam-immobilized Aspergillus terreus was examined in repeated shake-flask cultures according to a statistical experimental design. An increase in the glucose or copper concentration increased the need for earth alkaline metals. The experimentally obtained highest itaconic acid concentration of 51 g/l from 15% glucose with a total productivity of 3.67 g/l per day was reached during the first 14-day batch fermentation. In the fourth batch the calculated highest itaconic acid concentration of 19 g/l was reached with 25% glucose, 5 g/l of magnesium sulphate, 13 mg/l of copper sulphate and 10 g/l of calcium chloride. The immobilization of the mycelium increased the itaconic acid concentration obtained by as much as eightfold.Offprint requests to: H. Kautola     

Effect of dissolved oxygen concentration and impeller tip speed on itaconic acid production by Aspergillus terreus

Summary Effect of aeration rate and impeller tip speed on mycelium growth and itaconic acid production was investigated in a batch culture of Aspergillus terreus IFO-6365. When impeller tip speed was 94.2 cm/sec at a fixed aeration rate of 0.5 vvm, itaconic acid concentration was 3.6 and 1.6 times higher than those in the impeller tip speed of 62.8 and 125.7 cm/sec, respectively. When an oxygen-enriched air was supplied at a fixed impeller tip speed of 94.2 cm/sec and dissolved oxygen concentration was maintained in the 20–60 % range, both itaconic acid concentration and mycelium growth were not affected by the dissolved oxygen concentration.     

ImmobilizedAspergillus terreus in itaconic acid production from glucose

Summary The production of itaconic acid by immobilizedAspergillus terreus TKK 200-5-1 was studied both in shake flask cultures, and in continuous column bioreactors. The effect of glucose and ammonium nitrate concentrations, and of pH were examined using a statistical experimental plan. The highest itaconic acid product concentration could be reached at the highest investigated glucose concentration of 150 g/l and the highest initial pH of 3.75, in the absence of ammonium nitrate. In a continuous packed bed column system operated fro 4.5 months itaconic acid was obtained at a productivity of 328 mg/d per gram of polyurethane foam carrier.     

Fumaric acid production from xylose by immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus cells

Summary The production of fumaric acid by immobilized Rhizopus arrhizus TKK 204-1-1a mycelium was optimized in batch fermentations using statistical experimental design and empiric modelling. The maximum fumaric acid concentration was obtained at a xylose concentration of about 6% and a carbon:nitrogen ratio of about 160. In repeated batch fermentations with immobilized cells the highest volumetric productivity of fumaric acid reached was 87 mg/l per hour when the initial xylose concentration was 10%, the C:N ratio 160 and the residence time 1.75 days. The maximum product concentration was 16.4 g/l when the initial xylose concentration was 10%, the C:N ratio 160 and the residence time 10.25 days. The maximum yield from initial xylose (6.47%) was 23.7% with a product concentration of 15.3 g/l and volumetric productivity of 71 mg/l per hour at a residence time of 9 days and a C:N ratio of 188.3. Immobilization could increase the fumaric acid concentration to a level 3.4 times higher than that produced by free cells.     

Itaconic acid production by immobilizedAspergillus terreus from xylose and glucose

Summary Aspergillus terreus NRRC 1960 spores were entrapped in calcium alginate gel beads or alternotely the fungal mycelium was immobilized either on Celite R-626 or in agar gel cubes, and the biocatalyst was employed both in repeated batch and in continuous column reactors to produce itaconic acid from D-xylose or D-glucose. The highest itaconic acid yield obtained in a submerged culture batch fermentation was 54.5% based on total initial glucose (55 g/l) with a volumetric productivity of 0.32 g/l h, and 44.8% from xylose (67 g/l) with a productivity of 0.20 g/l h. In a repeated batch fermentation mycelium immobilized in agar gel had a productivity of 0.112 g/l h, and mycelium grown from spores immobilized in calcium alginate gel 0.06 g/l h, both from xylose (60 g/l). With the best immobilized biocatalyst system used employing Celite R-626 as a carrier, volumetric productivities of 1.2 g/l h from glucose and 0.56 g/l h from xylose (both at 60 g/l) were obtained in continuous column operation for more than 2 weeks.     

Itaconic acid production using an air-lift bioreactor in repeated batch culture of Aspergillus terreus

Repeated itaconic acid production using an air-lift bioreactor was carried out by three methods—two with cell recycling by means of centrifugation and filtration by a stainless steel filter set inside the bioreactor and one by repeated batch culture without cell recycling. In a flask culture, repeated itaconic acid production was stable for 9 cycles (45 d) and the production rate was 0.47 g/l/h. However, in the air-lift bioreactor, it was difficult to produce itaconic acid in the repeated batch culture with cell recycling for a long period due to a decrease in fluidity resulting from an increase in mycelium concentration. In the method without cell recycling, however, repeated itaconic acid production was stable for 4 cycles (21 d) and the production rate was 0.37 g/l/h.     

Enhancing itaconic acid production by Aspergillus terreus

Aspergillus terreus is successfully used for industrial production of itaconic acid. The acid is formed from cis-aconitate, an intermediate of the tricarboxylic (TCA) cycle, by catalytic action of cis-aconitate decarboxylase. It could be assumed that strong anaplerotic reactions that replenish the pool of the TCA cycle intermediates would enhance the synthesis and excretion rate of itaconic acid. In the phylogenetic close relative Aspergillus niger, upregulated metabolic flux through glycolysis has been described that acted as a strong anaplerotic reaction. Deregulated glycolytic flux was caused by posttranslational modification of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK1) that resulted in formation of a highly active, citrate inhibition-resistant shorter form of the enzyme. In order to avoid complex posttranslational modification, the native A. niger pfkA gene has been modified to encode for an active shorter PFK1 fragment. By the insertion of the modified A. niger pfkA genes into the A. terreus strain, increased specific productivities of itaconic acid and final yields were documented by transformants in respect to the parental strain. On the other hand, growth rate of all transformants remained suppressed which is due to the low initial pH value of the medium, one of the prerequisites for the accumulation of itaconic acid by A. terreus mycelium.     

Itaconic acid production from xylose in repeated-batch and continuous bioreactors

Summary Itaconic acid production from xylose by immobilized Aspergillus terreus TKK 200-5-2 mycelia was optimized both in repeated shake-flask fermentations and in continuous column bioreactors using statistical experimental design and empirical modelling. Using continuous 9-1 scale air-lift bioreactors, a pH of 2.5, aeration rate of 0.6 v/v per minute and residence time of 160 h gave the highest itaconic acid concentration. In air-lift bioreactors a cubic carrier size of 0.5 cm gave a 3.3-fold higher product concentration than 1-cm cubes. Packed-bed column reactors had a higher production rate than air-lift reactors. Offprint requests to: H. Kautola     

Continuous production of itaconic acid by Aspergillus terreus immobilized in a porous disk bioreactor

Summary Aspergillus terreus NRRL 1960 was grown on porous disks rotating intermittently in and out of the liquid phase. This immobilized fungal cell bioreactor was used to produce itaconic acid from glucose in a continuous operation. The effect of temperature, pH, disk rotation speed, and feed rate on the itaconic acid concentration and volumetric productivity were studied. The highest itaconic acid concentration and volumetric productivity obtained were 18.2 g/l and 0.73 g/l·h, respectively, under the following conditions: temperature at 36°C, pH 3.0, disk rotation speed at 8 rpm, and feed rate at 60 ml/h. These results are better than those by conventional fermentation or by other immobilized method.Nomenclature F feed rate (l/h) - K _1s saturation constant for immobilized cells (g/l) - K _2s saturation constant for suspended cells (g/l) - M ₁ increased mass of immobilized cells (g) - M ₂ total mass of immobilized cells (g) - P concentration of itaconic acid (g/l) - S substrate concentration in and out of the reactor (g/l) - S ₀ substrate concentration in the feed (g/l) - V liquid volume of the reactor (1) - X concentration of the suspended cells (g/l) - Y ₁ apparent yield of the immobilized cells (g cells/g substrate) - Y ₂ apparent yield of the suspended cells (g cell/g substrate) - Y ₃ apparent yield of itaconic acid (g itaconic acid/g substrate) - m ₁ maintenance and by-products coefficient of the immobilized cells (g substrate/g cell·h) - m ₂ maintenance and by-products coefficient of the suspended cells (g substrate/g cell·h) - µ_1max maximum specific growth rate of the immobilized cells (h^-1) - µ_2max maximum specific growth rate of the suspended cells (h^-1)     

Effect of pH and stirring rate on itaconate production by Aspergillus terreus

The production of itaconic acid from glucose-based media by Aspergillus terreus NRRL 1960 was found to be controlled by stirring rate and pH. When the phosphorous (P) level in the production medium was reduced to less than 10 mg l(-1), the fungal mycelium exhausted its primary growth and started to excrete itaconic acid, while it continued its secondary growth at the expense of ammoniacal nitrogen. The fermentation exhibited a mixed-growth-associated product formation kinetics, the non-growth associated production term (mI) being practically zero only when the pH was left free to change from 3.4 down to 1.85. On the contrary, when the pH was kept reducing up to a constant value by automatic addition of KOH 4 mol l(-1), the itaconate yield coefficient on the initial glucose supplied (Y(I/So)) and mI and were 0.53 g g(-1) and 0.028 h(-1) at pH 2.4 and 320 rev min(-1) and 0.5 g g(-1) and 0.036 h(-1) at pH 2.8 and 400 rev min(-1), respectively. Although the differences between mI and Y(I/So) were statistically insignificant at the 95% confidence level, the net difference in the corresponding yield coefficients for itaconic acid on mycelial biomass resulted in a maximum itaconate production rate of 0.41 g l(-1) h(-1) at pH 2.8 and 400 rev min(-1), thus showing that this operating condition is no doubt optimal for the process under study.     

定向选育衣康酸高产菌株的研究

以衣康酸生产菌土曲霉Ａ９００２为出发菌株,经紫外线及亚硝基胍复合诱变后再行定向选育,即在以衣康酸为唯一碳源的培养基中富集不能同化衣康酸的菌种,将将它们涂布在含乌头酸酶抑制剂（单氟醋酸）的高糖、高衣康酸平板培养基上,最后从中而筛选出一支衣康酸氧化酶弱,乌头酸酶活强,并耐自身代谢产物的高产突变株Ａ９００３。此菌株在摇瓶培养７２ｈ后,产酸为９．２％,转化率为５８．１％,在１００ｍ＾３发酵罐生产性试验中,     

Efficient Itaconic acid production via protein–protein scaffold introduction between GltA,AcnA, and CadA in recombinant Escherichia coli

Itaconic acid, which is a promising organic acid in synthetic polymers and some base-material production, has been produced by Aspergillus terreus fermentation at a high cost. The recombinant Escherichia coli that contained the cadA gene from A. terreus can produce itaconic acid but with low yield. By introducing the protein–protein scaffold between citrate synthesis, aconitase, and cis-aconitase decarboxylase, 5.7 g/L of itaconic acid was produced, which is 3.8-fold higher than that obtained with the strain without scaffold. The optimum pH and temperature for itaconic acid production were 8.5 and 30°C, respectively. When the competing metabolic network was inactivated by knock-out mutation, the itaconic acid concentration further increased, to 6.57 g/L.     

Production of (S)-(+)-citramalic acid from itaconic acid by resting cells of Alcaligenes denitrificans strain MCI2775

(S)-(+)-Citramalic-acid-producing activity in microorganisms was studied with resting cells in a reaction mixture containing itaconic acid. Itaconic-acid-utilizing bacteria were found to produce (S)-(+)-citramalic acid from itaconic acid. The strain, which showed the best productivity among those studied, was identified taxonomically as Alcaligenes denitrificans strain MCI2775. (S)-(+)-Citramalic acid produced by this strain was present in a 99.9% enantiometric excess. The culture and reaction conditions for the production were optimized for this strain. Addition of Mn²⁺, d-pantothenic acid and l-leucine to the culture medium enhanced the (S)-(+)-citramalic acid-producing activity. Under optimal conditions, 27 g (S)-(+)-citramalic acid/l was produced in 30 h. The yield to itaconic acid added was 69.0 mol%. Correspondence to: Y. Asano     

Synthesis of itaconic acid from agricultural waste using novel Aspergillus niveus

Abstract

Filamentous fungi from the genus Aspergillus are of high importance for the production of organic acids. Itaconic acid (IA) is considered as an important component for the production of synthetic fibers, resin, plastics, rubber, paints, coatings, adhesives, thickeners and binders. Aspergillus niveus MG183809 was isolated from the soil sample (wastewater unit) which was collected from Avadi, Chennai, India. In the present study, itaconic acid was successfully produced by isolated A. niveus by submerged batch fermentation. In the fermentation process, various low-cost substrates like corn starch, wheat flour and sweet potato were used for itaconic acid production. Further, the factor influencing parameters such as substrate concentration and incubation period were optimized. Maximum yield of itaconic acid (15.65?±?1.75?g/L) was achieved by using A. niveus from corn starch at a concentration of 120?g/L after 168?hr (pH 3.0). And also extraction of itaconic acid from the fermentation was performed with 91.96?±?1.57 degree of extraction.     

以淀粉为碳源衣康酸高产菌株的筛选

对土曲霉出发菌株进行紫外线诱变、LiCl诱变以及代谢终产物抗性菌株选育。代谢终产物抗性菌株选育是一种有效的遗传育种方法,能显著提高产酸量。得到一株代号为At394的菌株,以玉米淀粉部分水解糖为碳源,产酸量为53.9g/L,比出发菌株提高了42.6%。糖酸转化率为61.5%,为所有筛选菌株最高。用红外光谱进行结构分析证实所得产物为衣康酸。     

Acid proteinases production by humicola lutea cells immobilized in polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate gel

The spores of Humicola lutea entrapped in polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate gel were precultivated in production medium for mycelial formation. The immobilized mycelium was reused in batch mode for acid proteinases production. The influence of precultivation time, initial inoculum gel volume, and gel particle size on the enzyme activity and proteinases production half-life were studied. After 70 h precultivation of the entrapped spores (10 ml initial inoculum volume, 12–27 mm³ gel particle size) maximum proteinases activity of 100–140% (compared with free cells) was registered in 15 reaction cycles. Under the same condition the half-life time was 18 cycles, while for the free cells it was 5 cycles. The main advantage of the polyhydroxyethylmethacylate immobilized H. lutea was the long acid proteinases production half-life at a low concentration of outgrowing cells in the medium.     

衣康酸生产菌种的定向选育和产酸条件的研究

通过紫外线—高温复合诱变处理衣康酸生产菌株土曲霉构Aspergillus terreus As3.2811,用以琥珀酸为唯一碳源的选择性乎板定向筛选高产菌株,获得产酸率较其亲株提高了5倍以上的突变株。用正交试验的方法对突变株的适宜产酸条件进行了研究,通过分批补糖发酵可提高其产酸率高达39．92％。     

Effect of Cycloheximide on l-Leucine Transport by Penicillium chrysogenum: Involvement of Calcium

Cycloheximide (actidione) has an immediate inhibitory effect on amino acid transport by nitrogen-starved or carbon-starved mycelium suspended in phosphate buffer. High concentrations of phosphate alone are slightly inhibitory; cycloheximide appears to potentiate the effect of phosphate. Ca(2+) reverses the inhibition of transport caused by phosphate plus cycloheximide. Ca(2+) did not relieve the inhibition of protein synthesis. Cycloheximide promotes a continual uptake of (45)Ca(2+) by the mycelium. The cumulative results suggest that (i) membrane-bound Ca(2+) is involved in amino acid transport, (ii) cycloheximide labilizes the membrane-bound Ca(2+), and (iii) phosphate forms a complex with Ca(2+) making it unavailable for its role in transport. The effect of cycloheximide described above is observed within 1 to 2 min after addition of the antibiotic. This initial inhibition occurs more rapidly with 10(-3) M cycloheximide than with 10(-5) M cycloheximide. However, after a longer preincubation time, a curious inverse relationship between cycloheximide concentration and amino acid transport is observed. The mycelium incubated with 10(-5) M cycloheximide remains strongly inhibited (unless the antibiotic is washed away). The mycelium incubated with 10(-3) M cycloheximide recovers about 40% of the transport activity lost during the rapid initial phase. We have no obvious explanation for the inverse effect.