ATP formation associated with fumarate and nitrate reduction in growing cultures of Veillonella alcalescens

Molar growth yields, fermentation balances and enzyme activities were measured in Veillonella alcalescens grown anaerobically with different substrates in the absence or presence of fumarate or nitrate. The molar growth yields on malate (14.3 g dry wt bacteria/mole substrate) and citrate (19.3) were higher than that on lactate (8.6). The molar growth yield on lactate was increased to 15.5 or 19.8 by the addition of fumarate or nitrate, respectively, to the growth medium, and the molar growth yield on citrate was increased to 25.3 by addition of nitrate. Active growth yield was 25.5. From fermentation balances and fermentation systems similar Y_ATP values (g dry wt bacteria/mole ATP) were calculated for all substrates or mixtures of substrates assuming that one mole of ATP is generated at the electron transport from pyruvate, NADH and NADPH to nitrate or fumarate whereas ATP is not produced in the electron transport from lactate to fumarate or nitrate, and, therefore, this assumption was considered to reflect the actual situation. The mean Y_ATP value at a doubling time of 1 h was 16.5 g dry wt bacteria/mole ATP for growth without an added hydrogen acceptor, 14.4 for growth with fumarate, and 14.2 for growth with nitrate.