Parallel use of shake flask and microtiter plate online measuring devices (RAMOS and BioLector) reduces the number of experiments in laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactors

Background Conventional experiments in small scale are often performed in a Black Box fashion, analyzing only the product concentration in the final sample. Online monitoring of relevant process characteristics and parameters such as substrate limitation, product inhibition and oxygen supply is lacking. Therefore, fully equipped laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactors are hitherto required for detailed studies of new microbial systems. However, they are too spacious, laborious and expensive to be operated in larger number in parallel. Thus, the aim of this study is to present a new experimental approach to obtain dense quantitative process information by parallel use of two small-scale culture systems with online monitoring capabilities: Respiration Activity MOnitoring System (RAMOS) and the BioLector device. Results The same mastermix (medium plus microorganisms) was distributed to the different small-scale culture systems: 1) RAMOS device; 2) 48-well microtiter plate for BioLector device; and 3) separate shake flasks or microtiter plates for offline sampling. By adjusting the same maximum oxygen transfer capacity (OTRmax), the results from the RAMOS and BioLector online monitoring systems supplemented each other very well for all studied microbial systems (E. coli, G. oxydans, K. lactis) and culture conditions (oxygen limitation, diauxic growth, auto-induction, buffer effects). Conclusions The parallel use of RAMOS and BioLector devices is a suitable and fast approach to gain comprehensive quantitative data about growth and production behavior of the evaluated microorganisms. These acquired data largely reduce the necessary number of experiments in laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactors for basic process development. Thus, much more quantitative information is obtained in parallel in shorter time.Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass”, which is funded by the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments to promote science and research at German universities

Malolactic enzyme from Oenococcus oeni: Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and biochemical characterization

Malolactic enzymes (MLE) are known to directly convert L-malic acid into L-lactic acid with a catalytical requirement of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD (+) ) and Mn ( 2+) ; however, the reaction mechanism is still unclear. To study a MLE, the structural gene from Oenococcus oeni strain DSM 20255 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, yielding 22.9 kU l (-1) fermentation broth. After affinity chromatography and removal of apparently inactive protein by precipitation, purified recombinant MLE had a specific activity of 280 U mg (-1) protein with a recovery of approximately 61%. The enzyme appears to be a homodimer with a molecular mass of 128 kDa consisting of two 64 kDa subunits. Characterization of the recombinant enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 45°C, and Km, Vmax and kcat values of 4.9 mM, 427 U mg (-1) and 456 sec (-1) for L-malic acid, 91.4 µM, 295 U mg (-1) and 315 sec (-1) for NAD (+) and 4.6 µM, 229 U mg (-1) and 244 sec (-1) for Mn ( 2+) , respectively. The recombinant MLE retained 95% of its activity after 3 mo at room temperature and 7 mo at 4°C. When using pyruvic acid as substrate, the enzyme showed the conversion of pyruvic acid with detectable L-lactate dehydrogenase (L-LDH) activity and oxidation of NADH. This interesting observation might explain that MLE catalyzes a redox reaction and hence, the requirements for NAD (+) and Mn ( 2+) during the conversion of L-malic to L-lactic acid.Christina Schümann, Herbert Michlmayr, Andrés M. del Hierro, Klaus D. Kulbe, Vladimir Jiranek, Reinhard Eder and Thu-Ha Nguye