Control with Organic Solvents of Efficiency of Persolvent Cholesterol Fermentation by Pseudomonas sp. Strain ST-200

Abstract

Pseudomonas sp. strain ST-200 oxidizes cholesterol dissolved in an organic solvent overlying the medium. Major conversion products are cholest-4-en-3-one (C4EO), 6β-hydroxycholest-4-en-3-one (HCEO), and cholest-4-ene-3, 6-dione (CEDO). Productivity of each conversion product was altered by changing organic solvents used to dissolve the cholesterol. Generally, HCEO was predominant among the products. HCEO was produced even by cells grown without cholesterol and then killed with harmful organic solvent. The yield of the most oxidized product, CEDO, was improved when the cells were grown in the presence of cholesterol dissolved in a less toxic solvent, cyclooctane.