A Novel Extractive Fermentation Process for Propionic Acid Production from Whey Lactose

Abstract

An extractive fermentation process was developed to produce propionate from lactose. The bacterium Propionibacterium acidipropionici was immobilized in a spiral wound, fibrous matrix packed in the reactor. Propionic acid is the major product from lactose fermentation, with acetic acid and carbon dioxide as byproducts. Propionic acid is a strong inhibitor to this fermentation. A tertiary amine was used to selectively extract propionic acid from the bioreactor, hence enhancing reactor productivity by over 100 %. We also speculate that by selectively extracting propionic acid, lactose metabolism can be directed to yield more propionate and less byproducts. Other advantages of extractive fermentation include better pH control (by removing acid products) and a purer product. The propionic acid present in the extractant can be easily stripped with small amounts of an alkaline solution, resulting in a concentrated propionate salt. The extractant was also regenerated in this stripping step. Thus, the process is energy‐efficient and economically attractive.

Propionic acid fermentation by Propionibacterium acidipropionici: effect of growth substrate

“…Therefore, lactate would be a preferred substrate over lactose and glucose for propionic acid production by using continuous immobilized-cell bioreactors. The production of propionic acid from lactate using a continuous immobilized-cell bioreactor has been studied (Lewis 1991) and are reported elsewhere (Lewis and Yang 1992).…”

“…Its calcium, sodium, and potassium salts are widely used as a food and feed preservative. Recently, there has been increasing interest in producing propionic acid from whey lactose and other cheap biomass using propionibacteria (Blanc and Goma 1987a;Bodie et al 1987;Border et al 1987;Boyaval and Corre 1987;Cavin et al 1985;Clausen and Gaddy 1981;Crespo et al 1990;Datta 1981;Erode and Schink 1990;Hendricks et al 1985;Hsu and Yang 1991;Lewis 1991). However, conventional propionic acid fermentation is not economically competitive.…”

Propionic acid production by extractive fermentation. I. Solvent considerations

“…Extractive fermentation has been applied in the production of a variety of carboxylic acids, including propionic acid, as a means of overcoming end-product inhibition (Evans and Wang, 1990;Hatzinikolaou and Wang, 1992;Hollmann et al, 1995;Honda et al, 1995;Lewis and Yang, 1992;Ozadali et al, 1996;Solichien et al, 1995;Yabannavar and Wang, 1991b;Ye et al, 1996). Choice of the solvent is based on the partition coefficient (K d ) for the acid, toxic effects on the microorganism, and ability to remove the acid from the solvent.…”

Vitamin B 12 - Structure, Biosynthesis , Functions, and Methods of Determination

“…W celu usunięcia kwasu propionowego i kwasu octowego z płynu hodowlanego stosowano m.in. filtrację krzyżowo-przepływową [29], fermentację połączoną z oczyszczaniem w kolumnie absorpcyjnej z węglem aktywnym [56], fermentację ekstrakcyjną [40], elektrodializę [97] oraz komórki immobilizowane [14 -18, 96].…”