Fumaric acid production by fermentation

The potential of fumaric acid as a raw material in the polymer industry and the increment of cost of petroleum-based fumaric acid raises interest in fermentation processes for production of this compound from renewable resources. Although the chemical process yields 112% w/w fumaric acid from maleic anhydride and the fermentation process yields only 85% w/w from glucose, the latter raw material is three times cheaper. Besides, the fermentation fixes CO2. Production of fumaric acid by Rhizopus species and the involved metabolic pathways are reviewed. Submerged fermentation systems coupled with product recovery techniques seem to have achieved economically attractive yields and productivities. Future prospects for improvement of fumaric acid production include metabolic engineering approaches to achieve low pH fermentations

Deletion of methylglyoxal synthase gene (mgsA) increased sugar co-metabolism in ethanol-producing Escherichia coli

The use of lignocellulose as a source of sugars for bioproducts requires the development of biocatalysts that maximize product yields by fermenting mixtures of hexose and pentose sugars to completion. In this study, we implicate mgsA encoding methylglyoxal synthase (and methylglyoxal) in the modulation of sugar metabolism. Deletion of this gene (strain LY168) resulted in the co-metabolism of glucose and xylose, and accelerated the metabolism of a 5-sugar mixture (mannose, glucose, arabinose, xylose and galactose) to ethanol

Microbial export of lactic and 3-hydroxypropanoic acid:implications for industrial fermentation processes

Lactic acid and 3-hydroxypropanoic acid are industrially relevant microbial products. This paper reviews the current knowledge on export of these compounds from microbial cells and presents a theoretical analysis of the bioenergetics of different export mechanisms. It is concluded that export can be a key constraint in industrial production, especially under the conditions of high product concentration and low extracellular pH that are optimal for recovery of the undissociated acids. Under these conditions, the metabolic energy requirement for product export may equal or exceed the metabolic energy yield from product formation. Consequently, prolonged product formation at low pH and at high product concentrations requires the involvement of alternative, ATP-yielding pathways to sustain growth and maintenance processes, thereby reducing the product yield on substrate. Research on export mechanisms and energetics should therefore be an integral part of the development of microbial production processes for these and other weak acids. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Systems biology: Developments and applications

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014. All rights are reserved. Systems biology relies on systems theory concepts and is applicable to both fundamental studies of cellular biology as well as applied research such as metabolic engineering. In this chapter, we map the context of systems biology developments and highlight its contribution in understanding the yeast carbon metabolism. Systems biology not only contributes towards the global overview of metabolism but also in combination with an integrative analysis approach facilitates the elucidation of molecular mechanisms. In particular we discuss the role of systems biology in unraveling the molecular details concerning glucose and galactose metabolism. In conclusion, this chapter provides an overview of the progress and impact of systems biology in carbon metabolism

Impact of Thermodynamic Principles in Systems Biology

It is shown that properties of biological systems which are relevant for systems biology motivated mathematical modelling are strongly shaped by general thermodynamic principles such as osmotic limit, Gibbs energy dissipation, near equilibria and thermodynamic driving force. Each of these aspects will be demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally.BiotechnologyApplied Science