1969 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 65-84
Corynebacterium hydrocarboclastus R-7, which had been isolated as an excellent hydrocarbon utilizer, was found to produce a large amount of L-glutamic acid from various normal alkanes by the addition of penicillin.
Among various factors tested, addition time of penicillin and the concentration, pH, metal ions, sulfur-containing amino acids, and (NH4)2HPO4 concentration showed marked effects on the L-glutamic acid production.
Under the optimum conditions where the cultural medium contained
61.7g/liter n-hexadecane, inorganic salts, and growth factors, 20units/ml of penicillin was added after 16hr, and pH (7.30) of the medium was maintained by the continuous supply of ammonia gas with air, the highest level of L-glutamic acid production was attained after about 48-hr cultivation and it amounted to about 20g/liter of the medium.
The highest yield of L-glutamic acid obtained 14hr after the penicillin addition reached about 72% (w/w) of n-hexadecane consumed.