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A strain designated MK107-39, producing kojic acid with a high yield, was obtained by a new screening method using a 96-well microtiter plate after NTG treatment of Aspergillus oryze ATCC 22788. The amount of kojic acid produced by strain MK107-39 in a shaking flask was 28 g/l from 100 g/l of glucose, which was 7.7-times higher than that produced by parent strain. The kojic acid yields per cell and the amount of glucose consumed were 9.8 and 6.0-times higher than those of the parent strain. Based on differences in the use of carbohydrates and organic acids, it seems that strain MK107-39 has some mutation regarding carbohydrate metabolism. By customizing the medium and culture conditions such as glucose concentration, dissolved oxygen concentration and pH of the fermentation broth, more than 110 g/l of kojic acid was produced in a 3-l jar fermentor. Upon scale up to a 600-l pilot fermentor, enhanced production of kojic acid was successfully achieved. The kojic acid yield from glucose consumed, Y(P/S), was 0.43 (g/g) in this pilot plant-scale fermentation.

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In a culture of Aspergillus oryzae MK-107-39 in a 3-l airlift bioreactor, kojic acid was not produced when glucose/wheat germ medium (GM1) was used. However, when a jar fermentor was used, the kojic acid yield was high. A suitable medium for culture in an airlift bioreactor consisting of partially hydrolyzed corn starch and a small amount of corn steep liquor (CSL) (SM1) was selected. In the cultivation in the airlift bioreactor using SM1, nearly 40 g/l of kojic acid was produced, which was the same as the amount produced in the jar fermentor containing GM1. The optimum aeration rate for the airlift bioreactor was 2.0 vvm (0.66 cm/s of superficial linear velocity (Vs)). The cost of SM1 using the airlift bioreactor was reduced to 40% that of GM1 using the jar fermentor. Furthermore, the energy cost of kojic acid production using SM1 in the airlift bioreactor was less than one-fourth of that for the jar fermentor using GM1.