Kinetic of orange pigment production from Monascus ruber on submerged fermentation.

Pigments produced by species of Monascus have been used to coloring rice, meat, sauces, wines and beers in East Asian countries. Monascus can produce orange (precursor), yellow and red pigments. Orange pigments have low solubility in culture media and when react with amino groups they become red and largely soluble. The orange pigments are an alternative to industrial pigment production because the low solubility facilitates the downstream operations. The aim of this work was to study the kinetic on the production of orange pigments by Monascus ruber CCT 3802. The shaking frequency of 300 rpm was favorable to production, whereas higher shaking frequencies showed negative effect. Pigment production was partially associated with cell growth, the critical dissolved oxygen concentration was between 0.894 and 1.388 mgO2 L-1 at 30 °C, and limiting conditions of dissolved oxygen decreased the production of orange pigments. The maintenance coefficient (mo) and the conversion factor of oxygen in biomass (Yo) were 18.603 mgO2 g x-1  h-1 and 3.133 gx gO 2-1 and the consideration of these parameters in the oxygen balance to estimate the biomass concentration provided good fits to the experimental data.

High-cell-density culture strategies for polyhydroxyalkanoate production: a review.

This article gives an overview of high-cell-density cultures for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production and their modes of operation for increasing productivity. High cell densities are very important in PHA production mainly because this polymer is an intracellular product accumulated in various microorganisms, so a high cellular content is needed for the polymer production. This review describes relevant results from fed-batch, repeated batch, and continuous modes of operation without and with cell recycle for the production of these polymers by microorganisms. Finally, recombinant microorganisms for PHA production, as well future directions for PHA production, are discussed.

Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Production in Repeated fed-Batch with Cell Recycle Using a Medium with low Carbon Source Concentration.

Among approaches applied to obtain high productivity and low production costs in bioprocesses are high cell density and the use of low cost substrates. Usually low cost substrates, as waste/agroindustrial residues, have low carbon concentration, which leads to a difficulty in operating bioprocesses. Real time control of process for intracellular products is also difficult. The present study proposes a strategy of repeated fed-batch with cell recycle to attain high cell density of Cupriavidus necator and high poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)) productivity, using a substrate with low carbon source concentration (90 g l(-1)). Also, the use of the oxygen uptake rate data was pointed out as an on line solution for process control, once P(3HB) is an intracellular product. The results showed that total biomass (X), residual biomass (Xr) and P(3HB) values at the end of the culture were 61.6 g l(-1), 19.3 g l(-1) and 42.4 g l(-1) respectively, equivalent to 68.8 % of P(3HB) in the cells, and P(3HB) productivity of 1.0 g l(-1) h(-1). Therefore, the strategy proposed was efficient to achieve high productivity and high polymer content from a medium with low carbon source concentration.

Monascus: a Reality on the Production and Application of Microbial Pigments.

Monascus species can produce yellow, orange, and red pigments, depending on the employed cultivation conditions. They are classified as natural pigments and can be applied for coloration of meat, fishes, cheese, beer, and pates, besides their use in inks for printer and dyes for textile, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. These natural pigments also present antimicrobial activity on pathogenic microorganisms and other beneficial effects to the health as antioxidant and anticholesterol activities. Depending on the substrates, the operational conditions (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen), and fermentation mode (state solid fermentation or submerged fermentation), the production can be directed for one specific color dye. This review has a main objective to present an approach of Monascus pigments as a reality to obtaining and application of natural pigments by microorganisms, as to highlight properties that makes this pigment as promising for worldwide industrial applications.

Influence of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous sources on glucoamylase production by Aspergillus awamori in solid state fermentation.

It was the objective of the present study to increase the production of glucoamylase by Aspergillus awamori through solid state fermentation, using wheat bran as the main carbon source and (NH4)2SO4, urea, KH2PO4, glucose, maltose and starch as additional nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon sources. The production of glucoamylase is strongly influenced by N and C sources. A 100% increase was observed when the (NH4)2SO4 was replaced by urea, with C/N = 4.8, using maltose as the additional carbon source. C/P ratios in a range of 5.1 to 28.7 did not induce glucoamylase production under the studied conditions.

Effects of nitrate injection on microbial enhanced oil recovery and oilfield reservoir souring.

Column experiments were utilized to investigate the effects of nitrate injection on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) inhibition and microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). An indigenous microbial consortium collected from the produced water of a Brazilian offshore field was used as inoculum. The presence of 150 mg/L volatile fatty acids (VFA´s) in the injection water contributed to a high biological electron acceptors demand and the establishment of anaerobic sulfate-reducing conditions. Continuous injection of nitrate (up to 25 mg/L) for 90 days did not inhibit souring. Contrariwise, in nitrogen-limiting conditions, the addition of nitrate stimulated the proliferation of δ-Proteobacteria (including SRB) and the associated sulfide concentration. Denitrification-specific nirK or nirS genes were not detected. A sharp decrease in water interfacial tension (from 20.8 to 14.5 mN/m) observed concomitantly with nitrate consumption and increased oil recovery (4.3 % v/v) demonstrated the benefits of nitrate injection on MEOR. Overall, the results support the notion that the addition of nitrate, at this particular oil reservoir, can benefit MEOR by stimulating the proliferation of fortuitous biosurfactant-producing bacteria. Higher nitrate concentrations exceeding the stoichiometric volatile fatty acid (VFA) biodegradation demands and/or the use of alternative biogenic souring control strategies may be necessary to warrant effective SRB inhibition down gradient from the injection wells.

Continuous production of ethanol from starch using glucoamylase and yeast co-immobilized in pectin gel.

This work presents a continuous simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process to produce ethanol from starch using glucoamylase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-immobilized in pectin gel. The enzyme was immobilized on macroporous silica, after silanization and activation of the support with glutaraldehyde. The silica-enzyme derivative was co-immobilized with yeast in pectin gel. This biocatalyst was used to produce ethanol from liquefied manioc root flour syrup, in three fixed bed reactors. The initial reactor yeast load was 0.05 g wet yeast/ml of reactor (0.1 g wet yeast/g gel), used in all SSF experiments. The enzyme concentration in the reactor was defined by running SSF batch assays, using different amount of silica-enzyme derivative, co-immobilized with yeast in pectin gel. The chosen reactor enzyme concentration, 3.77 U/ml, allowed fermentation to be the rate-limiting step in the batch experiment. In this condition, using initial substrate concentration of 166.0 g/l of total reducing sugars (TRS), 1 ml gel/1 ml of medium, ethanol productivity of 8.3 g/l/h was achieved, for total conversion of starch to ethanol and 91% of the theoretical yield. In the continuous runs, feeding 163.0 g/l of TRS and using the same enzyme and yeast concentrations used in the batch run, ethanol productivity was 5.9 g ethanol/l/h, with 97% of substrate conversion and 81% of the ethanol theoretical yield. Diffusion effects in the extra-biocatalyst film seemed to be reduced when operating at superficial velocities above 3.7 x 10(-4) cm/s.

Influência da glicose na determinaçäo da atividade da amiloglicosidase / Influence of glucose on the determination of amyloglucosidase activity

Há inibiçäo da amiloglicosidase, quando se atinge 2g glicose/1 no volume de reaçäo. Este valor, além de sua importância no fenômeno de hidrólise, indica o cuidado a ser tomado na determinaçäo da atividade. Para permitir uma estimativa mais real, foi proposta a correçäo de valores, caso o limite de 2g glicose/1 seja ultrapassado

Proceso descontínuo de síntese de amiloglicosidade por Aspergilus awamori: influência do pH e da concentraçäo inicial de polissacarídeo

Estudou-se a influência da concentraçäo inicial de polissacarídeo (So) e do pH na produçäo de amiloglicosidase por Aspergillus awaamori NRRL 3112. Foram efetuados ensaios descontínuos, a pH 4,0 e 5,0 em fermentador de 10 litros, empregando-se meio de cultura a base de farinha de mandioca. Através do estudo cinético do processo, verificou-se a partir de So = 20g/l, para ambos os valores de pH, um comportamento acentuadamente crescente da atividade enzimática final no caldo, até se atingir um valor máximo para um determinado So. Verificou-se que esta atividade máxima é significativamente maior a pH 5,0, chegando-se a aproximadamente 7000U/1 para So = 93g/1, enquanto que a pH 4,0, obteve-se 2500U/1

Influência do pH na síntese e liberaçäo de glicoamilase por Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 e Aspergillus niger NRRL 337 / Influence of pH on glucoamylase synthesis and secretion by Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 and Aspergillus niger NRRL 337

Estudou-se a influência do pH na síntese e liberação da glicoamilase produzida por Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 e Aspergillus niger NRRL 337, em meio de cultura à base de farinha de mandioca. Verificou-se que, em valores crescentes de pH, de 3.0 a 6.0, obteve-se uma maior atividade de enzima intracelular, tendo se observado que o fenômeno de retenção de glicoamilase associada às células foi mais acentuado nas cepas com menor capacidade de produção da enzima. Com relação ao Aspergillus niger NRRL 337, verificou-se ainda, a influência da estocagem por longos períodos de tempo na diminuição da produção de glicoamilase.

Rheological behavior studies on Aspergillus sp. submerged culture

Apresentam-se resultados preliminares relativos ao comportamento reológico observado durante o cultivo submerso de Aspergillus. O Caldo comportou-se como pseudoplástico, e de acordo com a lei da potência, o índice de comportamento do fluxo (n) manteve-se aproxidamente constante para concentraçöes celulares acima de 5 g/l, enquanto o índice de consistência (K) apresentou um comportamento exponencial

Influence of spore concentration on microorganism morphology and on glucoamylase production in submerged cultures of Aspergillus awamori

The influence of the spore concentration in the inoculum preparation on microorganism morphology and glucoamylase synthesis by submerged cultures of Aspergillus awamori was investigated. A series of fermenter runs were perfomed, using an initial total reducing sugar concentration of 40 g/L. The inocula were prepared in a rotatory shaker, at 35§C 200 rev/min for 24 hours, varying spore concentration in the flasks from 9.5 x 10(3) to 1.8 x 10 (7) spores/mL. The inocula prepared with a spore concentration between 9.5 x 10(3) spores/mL and 5.0 x 10(6) spores/mL were composed by a cell suspension mainly in the pellet form, which led to a filamentous growth in the fermenter. Glucoamylase production was not affected by this range of spore concentration, reaching values between 2,100 U/L and 2,300 U/L. However, a higher spore concentration in the inoculum preparation (1.8 x 10(7) spores/mL) led to a inoculum formed by a cell suspension in the filamentous form containing many spore agglomerates (non-germinated spores). The kind of inoculum led to a growth predominantly in the pellet form in fermenter, which reduced the glucoamylase production in 30 (per cent).