Abstract
Fractionation of sorbitol metabolites in the culture liquid of Gluconobacter melanogenus IFO 3292 was examined by column chromatographic techniques. Ion exchange column chromatography of the culture supernatant allowed to divide the components of the metabolites into Fractions I, II, III and IV. Paperelectrophoretic and paperchromatographic analyses of these fractions revealed that Fractions I, II, III and IV contained neutral sugar, hexonic acids, 5-ketohexonic acid and 2-ketohexonic acids, respectively.
The neutral sugar in Fraction I, the 5-ketohexonic acid in Fraction III and the 2-ketohexonic acids in Fraction IV were isolated and determined to be L-sorbose, 5-keto-D-mannonic, 2-keto-D-gluconic and 2-keto-L-gulonic acids, respectively, from their physical properties. In Fraction II were contained two different hexonic acids, one of which was identified to be L-idonic acid by the aid of substrate specificity of a hexonic acid dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the other was determined to be D-mannonic acid as the phenylhydrazide derivative.
