Eatty Acid Metabolism in Microorganisms Part I

Production of Pimelic Acid from Azelaic Acid

Abstract

The production of pimelic acid from azelaic acid by microorganisms was studied. About 100 strains of bacteria which were able to utilize azelaic acid as a sole carbon source were isolated from soil and other natural materials. Among these bacteria, several strains produced a large quantity of an organic acid (pimelic acid) from azelaic acid in their culture fluids during the cultivation. The acid was isolated from the culture fluid of strain A133 in crystalline form. The crystal was identified as pimelic acid by physico-chemical and biological methods.
From the results of investigations on the morphological and physiological characters, the bacterial strain A133 was assumed to be Micrococcus sp.