Kinetic analysis of dihydroxyacetone production from crude glycerol by immobilized cells of Gluconobacter oxydans MTCC 904

High-Yield Production of Dihydroxyacetone from Crude Glycerol in Fed-Batch Cultures of Gluconobacter oxydans

The strain Gluconobacter oxydans LMG 1385 was used for the bioconversion of crude glycerol to dihydroxyacetone. The suitability of fed-batch cultures for the production of dihydroxyacetone was determined, and the influence of the pH of the culture medium and the initial concentration of glycerol on maximizing the concentration of dihydroxyacetone and on the yield and speed of obtaining dihydroxyacetone by bioconversion was examined. The feeding strategy of the substrate (crude glycerol) during the process was based on measuring the dissolved oxygen tension of the culture medium. The highest concentration of dihydroxyacetone PK = 175.8 g·L-1 and the highest yield YP/Sw = 94.3% were obtained when the initial concentration of crude glycerol was S0 = 70.0 g·L-1 and the pH of the substrate was maintained during the process at level 5.0.

Continuous catalytic production of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone: Sustainable approach combining perfusion cultures and immobilized cells

Currently, the predominant method for the industrial production of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) from glycerol involves fed-batch fermentation. However, previous research has revealed that in the biocatalytic synthesis of DHA from glycerol, when the DHA concentration exceeded 50 g·L-1, it significantly inhibited microbial growth and metabolism, posing a challenge in maintaining prolonged and efficient catalytic production of DHA. In this study, a new integrated continuous production and synchronous separation (ICSS) system was constructed using hollow fiber columns and perfusion culture technology. Additionally, a cell reactivation technique was implemented to extend the biocatalytic ability of cells. Compared with fed-batch fermentation, the ICSS system operated for 360 h, yielding a total DHA of 1237.8 ± 15.8 g. The glycerol conversion rate reached 97.7 %, with a productivity of 3.44 g·L-1·h-1, representing 485.0 % increase in DHA production. ICSS system exhibited strong operational characteristics and excellent performance, indicating significant potential for applications in industrial bioprocesses.

Optimizing enzyme properties to enhance dihydroxyacetone production via methylglyoxal biosensor development

BACKGROUND

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) stands as a crucial chemical material extensively utilized in the cosmetics industry. DHA production through the dephosphorylation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate, an intermediate product of the glycolysis pathway in Escherichia coli, presents a prospective alternative for industrial production. However, insights into the pivotal enzyme, dihydroxyacetone phosphate dephosphorylase (HdpA), remain limited for informed engineering. Consequently, the development of an efficient tool for high-throughput screening of HdpA hypermutants becomes imperative.

RESULTS

This study introduces a methylglyoxal biosensor, based on the formaldehyde-responding regulator FrmR, for the selection of HdpA. Initial modifications involved the insertion of the FrmR binding site upstream of the -35 region and into the spacer region between the -10 and -35 regions of the constitutive promoter J23110. Although the hybrid promoter retained constitutive expression, expression of FrmR led to complete repression. The addition of 350 μM methylglyoxal promptly alleviated FrmR inhibition, enhancing promoter activity by more than 40-fold. The methylglyoxal biosensor system exhibited a gradual increase in fluorescence intensity with methylglyoxal concentrations ranging from 10 to 500 μM. Notably, the biosensor system responded to methylglyoxal spontaneously converted from added DHA, facilitating the separation of DHA producing and non-producing strains through flow cytometry sorting. Subsequently, the methylglyoxal biosensor was successfully applied to screen a library of HdpA mutants, identifying two strains harboring specific mutants 267G > T and D110G/G151C that showed improved DHA production by 68% and 114%, respectively. Expressing of these two HdpA mutants directly in a DHA-producing strain also increased DHA production from 1.45 to 1.92 and 2.29 g/L, respectively, demonstrating the enhanced enzyme properties of the HdpA mutants.

CONCLUSIONS

The methylglyoxal biosensor offers a novel strategy for constructing genetically encoded biosensors and serves as a robust platform for indirectly determining DHA levels by responding to methylglyoxal. This property enables efficiently screening of HdpA hypermutants to enhance DHA production.

Kinetic modeling of xylonic acid production by Gluconobacter oxydans: effects of hydrodynamic conditions

In this study, the synthesis of xylonic acid from xylose by Gluconobacter oxydans NL71 has been investigated. According to the relationship between oxygen transfer rate and oxygen uptake rate, three different kinetic models of product formation were established and the nonlinear fitting was carried out. The results showed that G. oxydans has critical dissolved oxygen under different strain concentrations, and the relationship between respiration intensity and dissolved oxygen conformed to the Monod equation [Formula: see text]. The maximum reaction rate per unit cell mass and the theoretical maximum specific productivity of G. oxydans obtained by the kinetic model are 0.042 mol/L/h and 6.97 g/g_x/h, respectively. These results will assist in determining the best balance between the airflow rate and cell concentration in the reaction and improve the production efficiency of xylonic acid.

Efficient 1,3-dihydroxyacetone biosynthesis in Gluconobacter oxydans using metabolic engineering and a fed-batch strategy

1,3-Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a commercially important chemical and widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries as it prevents excessive water evaporation, and provides anti-ultraviolet radiation protection and antioxidant activity. Currently, the industrial production of DHA is based on a biotechnological synthetic route using Gluconobacter oxydans. However, achieving higher production requires more improvements in the synthetic process. In this study, we compared DHA synthesis levels in five industrial wild-type Gluconobacter strains, after which the G. oxydans WSH-003 strain was selected. Then, 16 dehydrogenase genes, unrelated to DHA synthesis, were individually knocked out, with one strain significantly enhancing DHA production, reaching 89.49 g L-1 and 42.27% higher than the wild-type strain. By optimizing the culture media, including seed culture and fermentation media, DHA production was further enhanced. Finally, using an established fed-batch fermentation system, DHA production reached 198.81 g L-1 in a 5 L bioreactor, with a glycerol conversion rate of 82.84%.

The industrial versatility of Gluconobacter oxydans: current applications and future perspectives

Gluconobacter oxydans is a well-known acetic acid bacterium that has long been applied in the biotechnological industry. Its extraordinary capacity to oxidize a variety of sugars, polyols, and alcohols into acids, aldehydes, and ketones is advantageous for the production of valuable compounds. Relevant G. oxydans industrial applications are in the manufacture of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), miglitol, gluconic acid and its derivatives, and dihydroxyacetone. Increasing efforts on improving these processes have been made in the last few years, especially by applying metabolic engineering. Thereby, a series of genes have been targeted to construct powerful recombinant strains to be used in optimized fermentation. Furthermore, low-cost feedstocks, mostly agro-industrial wastes or byproducts, have been investigated, to reduce processing costs and improve the sustainability of G. oxydans bioprocess. Nonetheless, further research is required mainly to make these raw materials feasible at the industrial scale. The current shortage of suitable genetic tools for metabolic engineering modifications in G. oxydans is another challenge to be overcome. This paper aims to give an overview of the most relevant industrial G. oxydans processes and the current strategies developed for their improvement.

Dihydroxyacetone production via heterogeneous biotransformations of crude glycerol

In this work, several immobilization strategies for Gluconobacter oxydans NBRC 14819 (Gox) were tested in the bioconversion of crude glycerol to dihydroxyacetone (DHA). Agar, agarose and polyacrylamide were evaluated as immobilization matrixes. Glutaraldehyde crosslinked versions of the agar and agarose preparations were also tested. Agar immobilized Gox proved to be the best heterogeneous biocatalyst in the bioconversion of crude glycerol reaching a quantitative production of 50 g/L glycerol into DHA solely in water. Immobilization allowed reutilization for at least eight cycles, reaching four times more DHA than the amount obtained by a single batch of free cells which cannot be reutilized. An increase in scale of 34 times had no impact on DHA productivity. The results obtained herein constitute a contribution to the microbiological production of DHA as they not only attain unprecedented productivities for the reaction with immobilized biocatalysts but also proved that it is feasible to do it in a clean background of solely water that alleviates the cost of downstream processing.

Repeated production of 6-(N-hydroxyethyl)-amino-6-deoxy-α-L-sorbofuranose by immobilized Gluconobacter oxydans cells with a strategy of in situ exhaustive cell regeneration

The major troubles in 6-(N-hydroxyethyl)-amino-6-deoxy-α-L-sorbofuranose (6NSL) production from N-2-hydroxyethyl glucamine (NHEG) by Gluconobacter oxydans were low cell yield during cell preparation and loss of cells' biocatalytic ability during biotransformation, resulting in high production cost and low 6NSL production. The target of this work was to enhance 6NSL production by reusing cells and improving the cells biocatalytic ability. First, inhibitory effects of substrate and product on 6NSL production, and optimization of cell regeneration condition were investigated, respectively. Then repeated production of 6NSL by immobilized cell using a strategy of in situ exhaustive cell regeneration in a bubble column bioreactor was developed. As a result, the bioprocess underwent nine cycles, the average 6NSL production and conversion rate of NHEG to 6NSL reached 42.6 g L^-1 and 83.1% in each batch was achieved, respectively.

Biochemical conversion of biodiesel by-product into malic acid: A way towards sustainability

Crude glycerol, one of the ever-growing by-product of biodiesel industry and is receiving the closest review in recent times because direct disposal of crude glycerol may emerge ecological issues. The renewability, bioavailability and typical structure of glycerol, therefore, discover conceivable application in serving the role of carbon and energy source for microbial biosynthesis of high value products. This conceivable arrangement could find exploitation of crude glycerol as a renewable building block for bio-refineries as it is economically as well as environmentally profitable. In this review, we summarize the uptake and catabolism of crude glycerol by different wild and recombinant microorganism. The chemical and biochemical transformation of crude glycerol into high esteem malic acid by various microbial pathways is also additionally discussed. An extensive investigation in the synthesis of high-value malic acid production from various feed stock which finds applications in cosmeceutical and chemical industries, food and beverages, and to some extent in the field of medical science is also likewise studied. Finally, the open doors for unrefined crude glycerol in serving as a promising abundant energy source for malic acid production in near future have been highlighted.

Engineering of glycerol utilization in Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 for enhancing phenazine-1-carboxylic acid production

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel, and it has a great application prospect to be transformed to synthesize high value-added compounds. Pseudomonas chlororaphis GP72 isolated from the green pepper rhizosphere is a plant growth promoting rhizobacteria that can utilize amount of glycerol to synthesize phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). PCA has been commercially registered as "Shenqinmycin" in China due to its characteristics of preventing pepper blight and rice sheath blight. The aim of this study was to engineer glycerol utilization pathway in P. chlororaphis GP72. First, the two genes glpF and glpK from the glycerol metabolism pathway were overexpressed in GP72ANO separately. Then, the two genes were co-expressed in GP72ANO, improving PCA production from 729.4 mg/L to 993.4 mg/L at 36 h. Moreover, the shunt pathway was blocked to enhance glycerol utilization, resulting in 1493.3 mg/L PCA production. Additionally, we confirmed the inhibition of glpR on glycerol metabolism pathway in P. chlororaphis GP72. This study provides a good example for improving the utilization of glycerol to synthesize high value-added compounds in Pseudomonas.

Kinetic Modeling of Dihydroxyacetone Production from Glycerol by Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 621 Resting Cells: Effect of Fluid Dynamics Conditions

Dihydroxyacetone production from glycerol has been studied. Cultures of Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 621, a promising microorganism that is able to convert glycerol into dihydroxyacetone, has been employed. In this work, the influence of oxygen transport rate and the fluid dynamic conditions have been studied working with resting cells cultures. Several experiments were carried out at two different scales: 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks and a 2 L stirred tank bioreactor, varying the agitation speed. Product and substrate concentration were determined employing high-performance liquid chromatography. Additionally, oxygen concentration was measured in the runs carried out in stirred tank reactors. Taking into account the results obtained in these experiments, three different behaviors were observed, depending on the mass transfer and chemical reactions rates. For experiments with low stirring speed (below 200 rpm for shake flasks and 300 rpm for reactors), the oxygen transport rate is the controlling step, while at high stirring speed (over 300 rpm in shake flasks and 560 rpm in the bioreactor), the chemical reaction is controlling the overall process rate. In some runs conducted at medium agitation, a mix control was found. All the kinetic models were able to reproduce experimental data and fulfill thermodynamic and statistical criteria, highlighting the importance of the mass transfer rate upon this system.

A review on variation in crude glycerol composition, bio-valorization of crude and purified glycerol as carbon source for lipid production

Crude glycerol (CG) is a by-product formed during the trans-esterification reaction for biodiesel production. Although crude glycerol is considered a waste stream of the biodiesel industry, it can replace expensive carbon substrates required for lipid production by oleaginous micro-organisms. However, crude glycerol has several impurities, such as methanol, soap, triglycerides, fatty acids, salts and metals, which are created during the trans-esterification process and may affect the cellular metabolism involved in lipid synthesis. This review aims to critically present a variation in crude glycerol composition depending on trans-esterification process and impact of impurities present in the crude glycerol on the cell growth and lipid accumulation by oleaginous microbes. This study also draws comparison between purified and crude glycerol for lipid production. Several techniques for crude glycerol purification (chemical treatment, thermal treatment, membrane technology, ion-exchange chromatography and adsorption) have been presented and discussed with reference to cost and environmental effects.

Cost-practical of glycolic acid bioproduction by immobilized whole-cell catalysis accompanied with compressed oxygen supplied to enhance mass transfer

Bioprocess for Glycolic acid (GA) production from ethylene glycol by whole-cell catalysis of Gluconobacter oxydans is restrained by various biological impediments and high production costs. In this study, these limitations were subsided through the implementation of immobilized whole-cell bio-catalysis combined with increased oxygen supply. Results indicated that this strategy noticeably enhanced mass transfer efficiency, and prolonged cell life that significantly reduced the cost of biomass. Ultimately, with immobilized whole-cell catalysis in air-open and oxygen-open bioreactor, 41.3 and 66.9 g/L of GA was obtained within 48 h, with an increment of 62.0%. Additionally, in oxygen-compressed bioreactor, 63.3 g/L of GA was accumulated with the yield of 97.2%. Subsequently, 605.7 g of GA was produced after 10 rounds of recovery experiments. Although there was a slight decrease in GA production compared with pure-oxygen supply, production cost was reduced with limited oxygen supply. This strategy commendably demonstrated cost-practical bioprocess for GA production.

Process optimization and kinetic analysis of malic acid production from crude glycerol using Aspergillus niger

In the present work, optimization of crude glycerol fermentation to produce malic acid by using Aspergillus niger was investigated using response surface methodology and artificial neural network. Kinetic investigation of bioconversion of crude glycerol into malic acid using Aspergillus niger was studied using Monod, Mosser, and Haldane-Andrew models. Crude glycerol concentration, initial pH and yeast extract concentration were found to be significant compounds affecting malic acid production by Aspergillus niger. Both dry cell weight and malic acid titre were found decreased with increase in crude glycerol concentration. Haldane-Andrew model gave the best fit for the production of malic acid from crude glycerol with µ_max of 0.1542 h^-1. The maximum malic acid production obtained under optimum conditions was 92.64 + 1.54 g/L after 192 h from crude glycerol using Aspergillus niger.

Engineering of glycerol utilization in Gluconobacter oxydans 621H for biocatalyst preparation in a low-cost way

Background

Whole cells of Gluconobacter oxydans are widely used in various biocatalytic processes. Sorbitol at high concentrations is commonly used in complex media to prepare biocatalysts. Exploiting an alternative process for preparation of biocatalysts with low cost substrates is of importance for industrial applications.

Results

G. oxydans 621H was confirmed to have the ability to grow in mineral salts medium with glycerol, an inevitable waste generated from industry of biofuels, as the sole carbon source. Based on the glycerol utilization mechanism elucidated in this study, the major polyol dehydrogenase (GOX0854) and the membrane-bound alcohol dehydrogenase (GOX1068) can competitively utilize glycerol but play no obvious roles in the biocatalyst preparation. Thus, the genes related to these two enzymes were deleted. Whole cells of G. oxydans ∆GOX1068∆GOX0854 can be prepared from glycerol with a 2.4-fold higher biomass yield than that of G. oxydans 621H. Using whole cells of G. oxydans ∆GOX1068∆GOX0854 as the biocatalyst, 61.6 g L⁻¹ xylonate was produced from 58.4 g L⁻¹ xylose at a yield of 1.05 g g⁻¹.

Conclusion

This process is an example of efficient preparation of whole cells of G. oxydans with reduced cost. Besides xylonate production from xylose, other biocatalytic processes might also be developed using whole cells of metabolic engineered G. oxydans prepared from glycerol.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-018-1001-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fluorescein Diacetate Hydrolysis Using the Whole Biofilm as a Sensitive Tool to Evaluate the Physiological State of Immobilized Bacterial Cells

Due to the increasing interest and the use of immobilized biocatalysts in bioremediation studies, there is a need for the development of an assay for quick and reliable measurements of their overall enzymatic activity. Fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis is a widely used assay for measuring total enzymatic activity (TEA) in various environmental samples or in monoculture researches. However, standard FDA assays for TEA measurements in immobilized samples include performing an assay on cells detached from the carrier. This causes an error, because it is not possible to release all cells from the carrier without affecting their metabolic activity. In this study, we developed and optimized a procedure for TEA quantification in the whole biofilm formed on the carrier without disturbing it. The optimized method involves pre-incubation of immobilized carrier in phosphate buffer (pH 7.6) on the orbital shaker for 15 min, slow injection of FDA directly into the middle of the immobilized carrier, and incubation on the orbital shaker (130 rpm, 30 °C) for 1 h. Biofilm dry mass was obtained by comparing the dried weight of the immobilized carrier with that of the unimmobilized carrier. The improved protocol provides a simple, quick, and more reliable quantification of TEA during the development of immobilized biocatalysts compared to the original method.

Investigations in sonication-induced intensification of crude glycerol fermentation to dihydroxyacetone by free and immobilized Gluconobacter oxydans

This study reports crude glycerol fermentation by G. oxydans for dihydroxyacetone (DHA) production, and intensification of fermentation with sonication. Fermentation was carried out using both free and immobilized cells (on polyurethane foam support) for initial glycerol concentrations of 20, 30 and 50 g/L. Sonication at 20% duty cycle enhanced glycerol consumption by 60-84% with no significant change in cell morphology. Lesser DHA yield in crude glycerol fermentation was attributed to possible formation of inhibitory products. Slight reduction in DHA yield for initial glycerol concentration of 50 g/L was attributed to substrate inhibition. Higher DHA productivity was obtained for immobilized cells. Circular dichroism analysis of intracellular proteins obtained from ultrasound-treated G. oxydans revealed significant reduction in α-helix and β-sheet content. These conformational changes in protein structure could augment activity of intracellular glycerol dehydrogenase, which is manifested in terms of enhanced metabolism of glycerol by G. oxydans.

Surface display for metabolic engineering of industrially important acetic acid bacteria

Acetic acid bacteria have unique metabolic characteristics that suit them for a variety of biotechnological applications. They possess an arsenal of membrane-bound dehydrogenases in the periplasmic space that are capable of regiospecific and enantioselective partial oxidations of sugars, alcohols, and polyols. The resulting products are deposited directly into the medium where they are easily recovered for use as pharmaceutical precursors, industrial chemicals, food additives, and consumer products. Expression of extracytoplasmic enzymes to augment the oxidative capabilities of acetic acid bacteria is desired but is challenging due to the already crowded inner membrane. To this end, an original surface display system was developed to express recombinant enzymes at the outer membrane of the model acetic acid bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans. Outer membrane porin F (OprF) was used to deliver alkaline phosphatase (PhoA) to the cell surface. Constitutive high-strength p264 and moderate-strength p452 promoters were used to direct expression of the surface display system. This system was demonstrated for biocatalysis in whole-cell assays with the p264 promoter having a twofold increase in PhoA activity compared to the p452 promoter. Proteolytic cleavage of PhoA from the cell surface confirmed proper delivery to the outer membrane. Furthermore, a linker library was constructed to optimize surface display. A rigid (EAAAK)₁ linker led to the greatest improvement, increasing PhoA activity by 69%. This surface display system could be used both to extend the capabilities of acetic acid bacteria in current biotechnological processes, and to broaden the potential of these microbes in the production of value-added products.

Malic acid production by chemically induced Aspergillus niger MTCC 281 mutant from crude glycerol

In the present investigation, crude glycerol derived from transesterification process was utilized to produce the commercially-valuable malic acid. A combined resistant on methanol and malic acid strain of Aspergillus niger MTCC 281 mutant was generated in solid medium containing methanol (1-5%) and malic acid (40-80 g/L) by the adaptation process for 22 weeks. The ability of induced Aspergillus niger MTCC 281 mutant to utilize crude glycerol and pure glycerol to produce malic acid was studied. The yield of malic acid was increased with 4.45 folds compared with that of parent strain from crude glycerol. The highest concentration of malic acid from crude glycerol by using beneficial mutant was found to be 77.38 ± 0.51 g/L after 192 h at 25 °C. This present study specified that crude glycerol by-product from biodiesel production could be used for producing high amount of malic acid without any pretreatment.

Process optimization and analysis of product inhibition kinetics of crude glycerol fermentation for 1,3-Dihydroxyacetone production

In present study, statistical optimization of biodiesel-derived crude glycerol fermentation to DHA by immobilized G. oxydans cells over polyurethane foam is reported. Effect of DHA (product) inhibition on crude glycerol fermentation was analyzed using conventional biokinetic models and new model that accounts for both substrate and product inhibition. Optimum values of fermentation parameters were: pH=4.7, temperature=31°C, initial substrate concentration=20g/L. At optimum conditions, DHA yield was 89% (17.83g/L). Effect of product inhibition on fermentation was trivial for DHA concentrations ≤30g/L. At higher concentrations (≥50g/L), kinetics and yield of fermentation showed marked reduction with sharp drop in V_max and K_S values. Inhibition effect was more pronounced for immobilized cells due to restricted transport of fermentation mixture across polyurethane foam. Retention of fermentation mixture in immobilized matrix resulted in higher localized DHA concentration that possibly enhanced inhibition effect.

Metabolic flux network analysis of hydrogen production from crude glycerol by Clostridium pasteurianum

The present study has attempted to get insight into ultrasound induced enhancement in biohydrogen production from glycerol fermentation using metabolic flux analysis (MFA). A pseudo steady state metabolic flux network model was constructed and analyzed using experimentally measured glycerol uptake rate and fluxes of four metabolites, viz. acetate, butyrate, succinate and 1,3-PDO. Glycerol consumption increased by ∼50% under sonication. Biohydrogen yield showed marked rise of ∼40% with application of ultrasound. Butyrate and 1,3-PDO were the major products of glycerol metabolism. Sonication had major influence on carbon fluxes at the acetyl-CoA node. MFA results revealed enhanced flux towards butyrate under sonication, which was manifested in higher butyrate to acetate (B/A) ratio in products and greater H₂ generation. Biohydrogen production was also a microbial growth associated process. Finally, two theoretical alternatives for further enhancement of biohydrogen production were assessed with MFA, viz. enhancement of glycerol uptake and blocking of butyrate pathway.

Repeated biotransformation of glycerol to 1,3-dihydroxyacetone by immobilized cells of Gluconobacter oxydans with glycerol- and urea-feeding strategy in a bubble column bioreactor

Some inorganic nitrogen sources and amino acids instead of yeast extract, which resulted in trouble of product purification, were introduced for 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) production by biotransformation with Gluconobacter oxydans. The results showed that urea is an optimal nitrogen source. Furthermore, the effects of glycerol- and urea-feeding strategies for DHA production by immobilized cells in a home-made bubble column bioreactor were optimized. Cells immobilization was prepared by cultivation in the bioreactor packed with porous ceramics, and then the broth was removed. Then, repeated biotransformation by continuous-feeding of glycerol and urea was developed. Up to 96.4±4.1g/L of average DHA concentration with 94.8±2.2% of average conversion rate of glycerol to DHA was achieved after 12 cycles of run. Near colorless DHA solution with few impurities was obtained and the production cost could be decreased.