Abstract
In the course of study on citric acid fermentation by Candida tropicalis KY 6224, in which n-alkane mixture (C-12 to C-15) was used as the sole source of carbon, we found that a arabitollike substance was accumulated when the medium-pH was controlled at low level (3.0 to 4.0). This substance was isolated in crystalline forms and identified as D-arabitol.
D-Arabitol production was also observed with ethanol, acetic acid and glucose as the sole source of carbon. Important factors for efficient production of D-arabitol were keeping the medium-pH at low-level (3.0 to 4.0) and the concentration of NaCl or KCl at high level (1 to 5%). This strain produced 75mg/ml of D-arabitol in 120 hr incubation under optimal culture conditions; this corresponds to 50% of n-alkane consumed.
