Abstract
d(−)-lactic acid is needed for manufacturing of stereo-complex poly-lactic acid polymer. Large scale d-lactic acid fermentation, however, has yet to be demonstrated. A genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain, HBUT-D, was adaptively evolved in a 15% calcium lactate medium for improved lactate tolerance. The resulting strain, HBUT-D15, was tested at a lab scale (7 L) by fed-batch fermentation with up to 200 g L−1 of glucose, producing 184–191 g L−1 of d-lactic acid, with a volumetric productivity of 4.38 g L−1 h−1, a yield of 92%, and an optical purity of 99.9%. The HBUT-D15 was then evaluated at a semi-industrial scale (30 m3) via fed-batch fermentation with up to 160 g L−1 of glucose, producing 146–150 g L−1 of d-lactic acid, with a volumetric productivity of 3.95–4.29 g L−1 h−1, a yield of 91–94%, and an optical purity of 99.8%. These results are comparable to that of current industrial scale l(+)-lactic acid fermentation.
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This work was supported by the Hubei Provincial Science Foundation (2011CDA008), Hubei University of Technology, P. R. China, and Northern Illinois University, USA.
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X. Fu and Y. Wang contributed equally to this work.
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Fu, X., Wang, Y., Wang, J. et al. Semi-industrial scale (30 m3) fed-batch fermentation for the production of d-lactate by Escherichia coli strain HBUT-D15. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 44, 221–228 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-016-1877-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-016-1877-9