MICROBIAL PRODUCTION OF AMINO ACIDS FROM HYDROCARBONS .4. L-GLUTAMIC ACID PRODUCTION BY CORYNEBACTERIUM HYDROCARBOCLASTUS-R-7

Corynebacterium hydrocarboclastus R-7, which had been isolated as an excellent hydrocarbon utilizer, was found to produce a large amount of L-glutamic acid from various normal alkanes by the addition of penicillin. Among various factors tested, addition time of penicillin and the concentration, pH, metal ions, sulfur-containing amino acids, and (NH4)2HPO4 concentration showed marked effects on the L-glutamic acid production. Under the optimum conditions where the cultural medium contained 61.7 g/liter n-hexadecane, inorganic salts, and growth factors, 20 units/ml of penicillin was added after 16 hr, and pH (7.30) of the medium was maintained by the continuous supply of ammonia gas with air, the highest level of L-glutamic acid production was attained after about 48-hr cultivation and it amounted to about 20 g/liter of the medium. The highest yield of L-glutamic acid obtained 14 hr after the penicillin addition reached about 72% (w/w) of n-hexadecane consumed. © 1969, Applied Microbiology, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Research Foundation. All rights reserved.