Growth of Candida utilis on enzymatically hydrolysed cassava

Summary Enzymatically hydrolysed cassava starch was used for C. utilis cultivation. Highly efficient starch hydrolysis was achieved with a 92% DE syrup obtained after 15–20h. Cyanide content fell during cassava processing to very low levels in the hydrolysate. Comparison of biomass yields and protein of C. utilis using molasses and cassava hydrolysate as substrates demonstrates the potential of the latter for yeast production.     

Production of fructose syrup by selective removal of glucose from hydrolyzed Jerusalem artichoke juice

Summary The study shows that the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 36859 can be successfully used for the production of fructose syrup from glucose-fructose mixtures or from Jerusalem artichoke juice by the conversion of glucose to ethanol. During these processes fructose concentration was unchanged.Ethanol yield (Y_P/S), based on glucose consumed in Jerusalem artichoke juice, and ethanol concentration were 0.428 g/g and 1.7% (w/v) respectively. When the juice was supplemented with glucose higher ethanol concentrations were attained but with lower ethanol yields.     

Optimization of date syrup for enhancement of the production of citric acid using immobilized cells of Aspergillus niger

Date syrup as an economical source of carbohydrates and immobilized Aspergillus niger J4, which was entrapped in calcium alginate pellets, were employed for enhancing the production of citric acid. Maximum production was achieved by pre-treating date syrup with 1.5% tricalcium phosphate to remove heavy metals. The production of citric acid using a pretreated medium was 38.87% higher than an untreated one that consumed sugar. The appropriate presence of nitrogen, phosphate and magnesium appeared to be important in order for citric acid to accumulate. The production of citric acid and the consumed sugar was higher when using 0.1% ammonium nitrate as the best source of nitrogen. The production of citric acid increased significantly when 0.1 g/l of KH₂PO₄ was added to the medium of date syrup. The addition of magnesium sulfate at the rate of 0.20 g/l had a stimulating effect on the production of citric acid. Maximum production of citric acid was obtained when calcium chloride was absent. One of the most important benefits of immobilized cells is their ability and stability to produce citric acid under a repeated batch culture. Over four repeated batches, the production of citric acid production was maintained for 24 days when each cycle continued for 144 h. The results obtained in the repeated batch cultivation using date syrup confirmed that date syrup could be used as a medium for the industrial production of citric acid.     

High ethanol yields using Aspergillus oryzae koji and corn media

Summary High ethanol and stillage solids have been achieved using whole corn mashes. Ethanol yields of 14% (v/v) (89.5% of theory) and stillage levels of approximately 23% (w/v) were obtained in 74–90 hours using mild acid pretreatment with Aspergillus oryzae wheat bran koji saccharification. High ethanol yields were also obtained with bacterial amylase, instead of the acid treatment, when the sterilization step was omitted. The implications of ethanol fermentation process modifications are explored.     

New yeast strains for alcoholic fermentation at higher sugar concentration

Summary New yeast strains for alcoholic fermentation were isolated from samples collected from Brazilian alcohol factories at the end of the sugar cane crop season. They were selected by their capacity of fermenting concentrated sugar cane syrup as well as high sucrose concentrations in synthetic medium with a conversion efficiency of 89–92%. The strains were identified asSaccharomyces cerevisiae.     

Sucrose syrup from carob pod

Summary The ripe carob pod (pericarp) is rich in water-soluble sugars, mainly sucrose (63% on total sugars). Sucrose crystallization from aqueous carob extract is prevented by its reducing sugar content. The selective consumption of these sugars by mixed culture ofRhizopus oligosporus andSaccharomyces rouxii gives a sucrose syrup suitable for several uses e.g. sucrose extraction.     

Selection of yeast able to produce ethanol from glucose at 40° C

Summary A total of 55 yeast strains selected from 7 genera known to ferment carbohydrates to ethanol were screened for their ability to ferment glucose to ethanol in shaken flask culture at 37°, 40° and 45°C. Yields of more than 50% of the theoretical maximum were obtained with 28 strains at 37°C, but only 12 at 40°C. Only 6 could grow at 45°C, but they produced poor yields. In general Kluyveromyces strains were more thermotolerant than Saccharomyces and Candida strains, but Saccharomyces strains produced higher ethanol yields. The 8 strains with the highest yields at 40°C were evaluated in batch fermentations. Three of these, two Saccharomyces and one Candida, were able to meet minimum commercial targets set at 8% (v/v) ethanol from 14% (w/v) glucose at 40°C.     

Production of xylanolytic enzymes by Streptomyces flavogriseus

Summary Cultures of Streptomyces flavogriseus produced considerable amounts of xylanase when grown on xylan containing media. Comparatively lower yields of this enzyme were obtained when hay or avicel served as main carbon source, -xylosidase was synthesized intracellularly and appeared less dependent on the fermentation substrate. The strain produced simultaneously various enzymes of the cellulase complex and the xylose induced glucose isomerase.     

The bioconversion of wood hydrolyzates to butanol and butanediol

Steam-exploded aspenwood chips were acid hydrolysed to their component sugars. Near theoretical solvent yields were achieved in both the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation and 2,3-butanediol fermentation of these liberated sugars. When Clostridium acetobutylicum was grown on wood hydrolysates, final butanol yields of 9.0 g/L (0.26 g of butanol per g of sugar consumed) were obtained. When Klebsiella pneumoniae was grown on the wood hydrolysates, final butanediol concentrations exceeded 20 g/L, resulting in a bioconversion efficiency approaching 0.5 g of butanediol per g of sugar utilised.     

Development of an optimal heterotrophic growth medium for Chlorella vulgaris

Summary Final biomass yields of Chlorella vulgaris cultured heterotrophically in bristol medium amended with 0.1% (w/v) yeast extract (Difco) or 0.5% glucose (w/v) were 26 and 58 times higher, respectively, than yields obtained for autotrophically grown cells in the light. Similarly, final biomass increases were 35 and 138 fold for these organic substrates in the dark. The mixture of 0.1% yeast extract and 0.5% glucose was optimal and produced increases in final biomass of 70 and 140 times in the light and dark, respectively.     

High fructose formation from sugarcane syrup and molasses usingZymomonas mobilis mutants

High fructose recovery yields were obtained using sugarcane syrup and C-molasses (equal to blackstrap molasses) and a fructokinase negative mutant ofZymomonas mobilis. The fructose recovery was 95.7% with sugarcane syrup and 99.4% with 300 g/L C-molasses or mixtures of both. High fructose corn syrup of a 48/52 mixture of glucose and fructose gave only a 65–70% fructose recovery due to high sorbitol formation.     

Temperature effects in ethanol fermentation high corn media

Summary A relationship between temperature and high ethanol yields has been found using whole corn mashes saccharified with Aspergillus oryzae wheat bran koji. Decreased ethanol yields were obtained at 34.5°C with high concentration corn mashes in contrast to high ethanol yields with the same medium at lower temperatures. The decreased yields appear to be related to mass and/or heat transfer problems rather than primary ethanol toxicity. Scale-up of the high corn medium will require a re-evaluation of alcohol fermentation technology.     

Factors affecting the fermentation of ergot alkaloids by Aspergillus fumigatus (Fresenius)

Summary Six strains of Aspergillus fumigatus were studied for their alkaloid producing capacity. With one strain (NCIM 902) high yields (162mg/l) of ergot alkaloids were obtained after seven days in a new medium.     

Isolation of Clostridium acetobutylicum strains producing butanol and acetone

Summary A system is described for the isolation of bacteria (Clostridium acetobutylicum) from broad beans, potatoes or maize. The isolates were tested in molasses medium and solvent yields up to 18–20 g/litre of butanol plus acetone were obtained.     

Protoplast culture of several members of the genus Physalis

High yields of protoplasts were obtained by enzymic treatment of mesophyll from five different species of the genus Physalis. Subsequent divisions and colony formation were achieved in all the species. However, numerous combinations of phytohormones failed to induce regeneration of shoots from callus tissue developed from protoplasts.     

Nutritional factors affecting lipase production byRhizopus delemar CDBB H313

Summary Some nutritional factors that affect lipase yields byRhizopus delemar were studied. Dextrin proved to be the best carbon source when used at 1% level. Yeast extract was the best nitrogen source for lipase production. The presence of a lipidic source in the growth medium, at a level not higher than 2% resulted in higher enzyme production. Tween 80 exerted a positive effect on enzyme production, used in a range that goes from 0.02% to 2.00%.     

Processing and fermentation of Jerusalem artichoke for ethanol production

Summary Processing and fermentation trials on Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) tubers, and on pure inulin media were carried out. Acid and thermal treatments, pure and mixed cultures of yeast, and enzyme preparations were investigated. Best ethanol yields on either substrate were obtained with pH 2 thermal treatments, resulting in 131.6 liters ethanol per metric ton fresh tuber.     

Optimization of date syrup as a novel medium for lovastatin production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus terreus</Emphasis> ATCC 20542 and analyzing assimilation kinetic of carbohydrates

Lovastatin is a statin drug, which lowers cholesterol level in blood due to inhibition of (S)-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase. Date syrup is a rich medium for microbial growth and metabolite production. The main carbohydrates present in the date syrup are glucose and fructose. In this study, date syrup was used as a complex and bioresource medium for lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus in the submerged cultivation. Optimization of the date syrup medium in order to achieve the highest titers of lovastatin and biomass was carried out. Four factors were studied by response surface methodology including concentration of date syrup carbohydrates, yeast extract concentration, pH, and rotation speed of the shaker. Optimal conditions for these factors found were as follows: concentration of date syrup carbohydrates, 64 g/l; yeast extract concentration, 15 g/l; pH, 6.5; and agitation speed, 150 rpm. It gave lovastatin concentration of 105.6 mg/l. Next, batch cultures in the optimal conditions were performed in a 2.5-l working volume bioreactor and led to the lovastatin titer of 241.1 mg/l during 12 days. Aspergillus terreus showed diauxic growth in the optimized medium with a shift from glucose to fructose assimilation during the run. Glucose and fructose assimilation kinetic parameters revealed that more lovastatin is produced during glucose assimilation, while more biomass was formed during fructose assimilation.     

Production of 2,3-butanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae grown on acid hydrolyzed wood hemicellulose

Summary Previously steam explosion had been used to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates to glucose. The conditions for pretreating aspen wood chips were optimized so that highest amounts of undegraded hemicellulose could be obtained after washing the steam exploded chips. The hemicellulose rich water soluble fractions showing highest pentosan yields were then acid hydrolysed to their composite sugars. Approximately 65–75% of the total reducing sugars detected in the wood hydrolysates were in the form of monosaccharides with D-xylose being the major component. Klebsiella pneumoniae was grown in media containing these wood hydrolysates as the substrate and 2,3-butanediol yields of 0.4–0.5 g per g of monosaccharide utilised were obtained.     

The effect of the H2 partial pressure on the metabolite pattern ofLactobacillus casei,Escherichia coli andClostridium butyricum

Summary The metabolite pattern of batch cultures ofLactobacillus casei LMG 6400,Clostridium butyricum LMG 1213t1 andEscherichia coli LMG 2093 was effected only for the latter organism when the H₂ partial pressure was below 1 atmosphere: high hydrogen partial pressures increased the formate formation, low pressures gave rise to increased acetate production and higher cell yields.