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Rheology, oxygen transfer, and molecular weight characteristics of poly(glutamic acid) fermentation by Bacillus subtilis
Author(s) -
Richard Andrew,
Margaritis Argyrios
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.10568
Subject(s) - fermentation , biopolymer , bacillus subtilis , chemistry , rheology , lactic acid , kinetics , oxygen , chemical engineering , polymer , organic chemistry , biochemistry , materials science , bacteria , biology , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material , genetics
Poly(glutamic acid) (PGA) is a water‐soluble, biodegradable biopolymer that is produced by microbial fermentation. Recent research has shown that PGA can be used in drug delivery applications for the controlled release of paclitaxel (Taxol) in cancer treatment. A fundamental understanding of the key fermentation parameters is necessary to optimize the production and molecular weight characteristics of poly(glutamic acid) by Bacillus subtilis for paclitaxel and other applications of pharmaceuticals for controlled release. Because of its high molecular weight, PGA fermentation broths exhibit non‐Newtonian rheology. In this article we present experimental results on the batch fermentation kinetics of PGA production, mass transfer of oxygen, specific oxygen uptake rate, broth rheology, and molecular weight characterization of the PGA biopolymer.© 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 82: 299–305, 2003.