Lovastatin and (+)‐geodin formation by Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 in a batch culture with the simultaneous use of lactose and glycerol as carbon sources

The influence of initial glycerol and lactose concentrations on lovastatin and (+)‐geodin formation in batch cultures of Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20542 was presented. At first the experiments comprised lovastatin biosynthesis on glycerol as the sole carbon source. Lovastatin titers below 40 mg/L were found under these conditions and they were lower than previously obtained results when lactose was used as the sole carbon source. However, the application of the mixture of glycerol and lactose allowed in achieving higher lovastatin concentration in the broth. It even exceeded 122 mg/L when 10 g lactose and 15 g glycerol per liter were used. The calculated lovastatin volumetric and specific formation rates on glycerol or lactose and on the mixture of these two showed that lovastatin was faster produced on lactose than on glycerol. In the trophophase, the maximum volumetric lovastatin formation rate on lactose was up to four times higher than on glycerol and so was the lovastatin specific formation rate. Similar relations for the accompanying (+)‐geodin biosynthesis were also studied. When the mixture of lactose and glycerol was used, the transformation of (+)‐geodin to other polyketide metabolites also took place.