Itaconic Acid Fermentation by a Yeast Belonging to the Genus Candida

Abstract

Many yeasts were isolated from natural sources in the tropics and subtropics by enrichment culture technique, using medium which contained a surfactant. The medium was acidified with citric acid. A strain S-10 belonging to the genus Candida was found to produce itaconic acid. Under suitable conditions in shake culture, a mutant derived from this strain produced the acid at about 35% yield on the basis of glucose supplied.