CITRIC-ACID PRODUCTION BY 2-DEOXYGLUCOSE-RESISTANT MUTANT STRAINS OF ASPERGILLUS-NIGER

Many mutant strains showing resistance to 2-deoxy-D-glucose (DG) on minimal medium containing glycerol as a carbon source were induced from Aspergillus niger WU-2223L, a citric acid-producing strain. The mutant strains were classifiable into two types according to their growth characteristics. On the agar plates containing glucose as a sole carbon source, mutant strains of the first type showed good growth irrespective of the presence or absence of DG. When cultivated in shake cultures, some strains of the first type, such as DGR1-2, showed faster glucose consumption and growth than strain WU-2223L. The period for citric acid production shortened from 9 days for strain WU-2223L to 6-7 days for these mutant strains. The levels and yields of citric acid production of the mutant strains were almost the same as those of strain WU-2223L. The mutant strains of the second type, however, showed very slow or no growth on both the agar plates containing glucose and fructose as sole carbon sources. In shake cultures, mutant strains such as DGR2-8 showed decreased glucose consumption rates, resulting in very low production of citric acid.