Abstract
1. Nutritional requirement of Candida lipolytica AJ 5004 were examined, and it was apparent that this yeast required only thiamine as growth factor either in n-paraffins or sugar medium.
2. Even if Candida lipolytica was cultured in synthetic medium containing adequate amounts of thiamine, it was able to produce so high yield of α-KGA as in the medium containing 0.02% of corn steep liquor.
3. Relationship between concentration of n-paraffins and yield of α-KGA in the corn steep liquor containing medium was studied.
It was also shown that the rate of conversion of n-paraffin to α-ketoglutarate gradually increased as the concentration of n-paraffins was decreased or as the incubation time was prolonged. A very high rate of conversion, 71%, was obtained after prolonged culture, for 5 days, with a culture medium containing 8% of n-paraffins.
4. It was observed that in the glucose medium the yeast accumulated large quantity of PA, and the optimal concentration of thiamine which afforded the highest productivity of α-KGA was rather higher in glucose medium than in n-paraffin medium.
5. Productivity of α-KGA from C9 to C20 n-alkanes was demonstrated, and it was found that higher carbon alkanes in the range of C15_??_C19, especially C17_??_C19, were preferable for α-KGA production.
