Abstract
An arginine auxotrophic mutant strain RN-362 was derived from Corynebacterium hydrocarboclastus R-7 and accumulated a large amount of L-ornithine at the expense of hydrocarbons. In order to establish the optimum culture condition for L-ornithine production, influences of the following factors were studied: arginine concentration, nitrogen sources, carbon sources, hydrocarbon content, and supplement of yeast extract and amino acids.
The highest level of L-ornithine accumulation was attained after 80-hr cultivation and it amounted to about 9g per liter of the culture medium, which contained initially 10% (v/v) n-tetradecane as the carbon source. The maximum yield obtained corresponded to 32.5% (w/w) of n-tetradecane supplied, when 1% (v/v) n-tetradecane was added to the medium as a sole source of carbon.
