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Continuous production of bacitracin by immobilized living whole cells of Bacillus sp.
Author(s) -
Morikawa Yasushi,
Karube Isao,
Suzuki Shuichi
Publication year - 1980
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.260220510
Subject(s) - bacitracin , aeration , dilution , chromatography , chemistry , effluent , fermentation , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , food science , biochemistry , antibiotics , environmental engineering , physics , genetics , organic chemistry , engineering , thermodynamics
Whole cells of Bacillus sp., a bacitracin‐producing bacteria, were immobilized in polyacrylamide gel. The continuous production of bacitracin by an immobilized whole‐cell‐containing air‐bubbled reactor was examined with 0.5% peptone solution. The bacitracin productivity (28 units/ml/hr) obtained with this system was higher than that with a batch system. The effluent bacitracin concentration increased with increasing aeration rate and reached a steady‐state maximum above the aeration rate of 3.0 liter/min. A high bacitracin productivity was retained for at least eight days when the gel was washed with sterilized saline at a flow rate of 250 ml/hr for 2 hr once a day. The half‐life of the immobilized whole‐cell system was about 10 days. Bacitracin productivity by the immobilized whole‐cell reactor was higher than that by a conventional continuous fermentation process at high dilution rates.