Drs. Hui Wang and Hongzhang Chen (Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences) proposed to use polyurethane foam as inert solid supports for solid state fermentation, producing clavulanic acid from Streptomyces clavuligerus (Trends in Renewable Energy (vol. 2, pp. 2-12. doi: 10.17737/tre.2016.2.1.0018).
Clavulanic acid is a potent β-lactamase inhibitor, which prevent bacteria forming antibiotic resistance. Traditionally clavulanic acid is produced by using submerged fermentation method, which was plagued with many problems like pollution, low yield, and high cost often. “…solid state fermentation has recently received more attention, because it requires simpler fermentation medium and smaller space, is easier to aerate, and has higher productivity, lower waste water output, lower energy requirement, and less bacterial contamination.” said Dr. Wang. Further he pointed out that their paper is the first report regarding production of Clavulanic acid by inert support absorption solid-state-fermentation.
This publication examined the effects of pH, incubation temperature, the amount of supports, and nutrients on the productivity. Finally, the authors summarized that “Comparing to submerged fermentation that is the most popular method for clavulanic acid production, solid-state-fermentation on polyurethane foam produced clavulanic acid with higher yield and higher purity under the same conditions…inert support absorption solid-state-fermentation could be a novel way to produce clavulanic acid with higher economic benefits.”
Contact: Dr. Hongzhang Chen, Email: hzcheng@home.ipe.ac.cn.
More information: http://futureenergysp.com/index.php/tre/article/view/18