Summary
Optimal growth of Methanosarcina barkeri occurred in a defined medium containing methanol when 2.5–4 mM sodium sulphide was added giving a concentration of 0.04–0.06 mM dissolved sulphide (HS−+S2−. When the sulphide concentration was too low for optimal growth (e.g., 0.1 mM Na2S added) the addition of the redox resin ‘Serdoxit’ acted as a sulphide reservoir and caused a significant stimulation of growth. Furthermore it could be demonstrated that iron sulphide, zinc sulphide or L-methionine could also act as sulphur sources while the addition of sodium sulphate to sulphide-depleted media failed to restore growth. The amino acid L-cysteine (0.85 mM) stimulated growth but could not replace Na2S.
Under optimal cysteine-and sulphide concentrations the generation time of this strain was about 7–9 h during growth on methanol, giving a growth yield of about 0.14 g/g methanol consumed. Different M. barkeri strains were also able to grow under these conditions on acetate (30–50 h doubling time) without a significant lag-phase and with complete substrate consumption even though the inoculum was grown on methanol or H2−CO2. When methanol and acetate were present as a mixture in the medium both were used simultaneously.
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Scherer, P., Sahm, H. Influence of sulphur-containing compounds on the growth of Methanosarcina barkeri in a defined medium. European J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 12, 28–35 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00508115
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00508115