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Quantifying the sensitivity of G. oxydans ATCC 621H and DSM 3504 to osmotic stress triggered by soluble buffers

  • Fermentation, Cell Culture and Bioengineering
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

In Gluconobacter oxydans cultivations on glucose, CaCO3 is typically used as pH-buffer. This buffer, however, has disadvantages: suspended CaCO3 particles make the medium turbid, thereby, obstructing analysis of microbial growth via optical density and scattered light. Upon searching for alternative soluble pH-buffers, bacterial growth and productivity was inhibited most probably due to osmotic stress. Thus, this study investigates in detail the osmotic sensitivity of G. oxydans ATCC 621H and DSM 3504 using the Respiratory Activity MOnitoring System. The tested soluble pH-buffers and other salts attained osmolalities of 0.32–1.19 osmol kg−1. This study shows that G. oxydans ATCC 621H and DSM 3504 respond quite sensitively to increased osmolality in comparison to other microbial strains of industrial interest. Osmolality values of >0.5 osmol kg−1 should not be exceeded to avoid inhibition of growth and product formation. This osmolality threshold needs to be considered when working with soluble pH-buffers.

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Acknowledgments

This work was performed within the research network “Genomik Transfer”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research and Education, Germany (FKZ 0315632B). The authors wish to thank Stephanie Bringer and Janine Richhardt from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences at the Research Center Jülich (Germany) as well was Wolfgang Liebl, Armin Ehrenreich and David Kostner from the Department of Microbiology at the Technological University Munich (Germany) for providing the G. oxydans strains ATCC 621H and DSM 3504.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AVT, Chair of Biochemical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    B. Luchterhand, S. Wewetzer, M. Wunderlich, T. Schlepütz & J. Büchs

  2. Department of Biotechnology/Biomaterial Sciences and Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 20, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    T. Fischöder

  3. Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    A. R. Grimm

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  1. B. Luchterhand
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Correspondence to B. Luchterhand.

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Luchterhand, B., Fischöder, T., Grimm, A.R. et al. Quantifying the sensitivity of G. oxydans ATCC 621H and DSM 3504 to osmotic stress triggered by soluble buffers. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 42, 585–600 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-015-1588-7

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