Pratima Bajpai

Optimization studies for the bioconversion of Jerusalem artichoke tubers to ethanol and microbial biomass

SummaryA total of 8 yeast and microbial cultures have been grown in the extract derived from the tubers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) and screened according to the following optimization criteria: rates and yields of ethanol production, rates and yields of biomass production, and % of original sugars utilized during fermentation. Batch growth kinetic parameters were also determined for the cultures studied.

Immobilization of Kluyveromyces marxianus cells containing inulinase activity in open pore gelatin matrix: 2. Application for high fructose syrup production

Abstract Batch and continuous production of high fructose syrup from Jerusalem artichoke tubers has been studied using yeast cells immobilized in open pore gelatin matrix. In a batch reactor, the hydrolysis was 93% ( d -fructose/ d -glucose = 90/10 ) and 42 mg d -fructose per ml was produced from the artichoke tuber extract by immobilized cells in 3 h. The same immobilized cells were recycled and used repeatedly for 10 batch cycles starting with fresh juice at the beginning of each cycle. It was found that immobilized cells were extremely stable and the percent hydrolysis was almost constant for all 10 batch cycles. In a continuous reactor using an immobilized cell concentration of 65.7 g (dry wt) l −1 of total working bioreactor volume, the percent hydrolysis was found to remain constant at ∼100% at dilution rates −1 , but beyond that it decreased. Volumetric productivity attained its maximum value at D = 2.08 h −1 and was found to be 100 g l −1 h −1 . This was achieved at a feed sugar conversion of 80%. At 90% conversion and D = 1.66 h −1 , the productivity was found to be 90 g l −1 h −1 . Continuous operation of the immobilized cell bioreactor at a constant dilution rate of 1.65 h −1 for 240 h resulted in only 2% loss of original activity.

Immobilization of Kluyveromyces marxianus cells containing inulinase activity in open pore gelatin matrix: 1. Preparation and enzymatic properties

Abstract Kluyveromyces marxianus cells with inulinase (2,1-β- d -fructan fructanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.7) activity have been immobilized in open pore gelatin pellets with retention of > 90% of the original activity. The open pore gelatin pellets with entrapped yeast cells were obtained by selective leaching out of calcium alginate from the composite matrix, followed by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. Enzymatic properties of the gelatin-entrapped cells were studied and compared with those of the free cells. The immobilization procedure did not alter the optimum pH of the enzymatic preparation; the optimum for both free and immobilized cells was pH 6.0. The optimum temperature of inulin hydrolysis was 10°C higher for immobilized cells. Activation energies for the reaction with the free and immobilized cells were calculated to be 6.35 and 2.26 kcal mol −1 , respectively. K m values were 8 mM inulin for the free cells and 9.52 mM for the immobilized cells. The thermal stability of the enzyme was improved by immobilization. Free and immobilized cells showed fairly stable activities between pH 4 and 7, but free cell inulinase was more labile at pH values below 4 and above 7 compared to the immobilized form. There was no loss of enzyme activity of the immobilized cells on storage at 4°C for 30 days. Over the same period at room temperature only 6% of the original activity was lost.

Repeated batch production of ethanol from Jerusalem artichoke tubers using recycled immobilized cells of Kluyveromyces fragilis

SummaryRecycled immobilized cells of Kluyveromyces fragilis ATCC 28244 were used for repeated batch production of ethanol from the inulin sugars derived from Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Using 10% initial sugar concentration, a maximum ethanol concentration of 48 g/l was achieved in 7 h when the immobilized cell concentration in the Ca alginate beads was 72 g dry wt. immobilized cell/l bead volume. The maximum ethanol production rate was 13.5 g ethanol/l bioreactor volume/h. The same Ca alginate beads containing the cells were used repeatedly for 11 batch runs starting with fresh medium at the beginning of each run. The ethanol yield was found to be almost constant at 96% of the theoretical for all 11 batch runs, while the maximum ethanol production rate during the last batch run was found to be 70% of the original ethanol rate obtained in the first batch run.

Improvement of inulinase stability of calcium alginate immobilized Kluyveromyces marxianus cells by treatment with hardening agents

To improve the inulinase (2,1-β-d-fructan fructanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.7) stability of calcium alginate-immobilized Kluyveromyces marxianus cells, treatment with hardening agents has been investigated. Treatment of immobilized cells with some polycationic polymers resulted in little decrease in volumetric reactor productivity, but was most effective in increasing the inulinase stability of the immobilized cells. Inulinase stability of glutaraldehyde-hardened immobilized cells increased two-fold, and for hexamethylenediamine + glutaraldehyde and polyethyleneimine + glutaraldehyde-hardened cells increased six-fold compared with that of the unhardened cells.

Characterization of molecular-sieve-bound inulinase

Abstract The enzyme inulinase (2,1-β- d -fructan fructanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.7), prepared from Kluyveromyces marxianus has been immobilized using an inorganic solid support, molecular sieve 4A via the metal link method. The immobilized enzyme had around 22 units of inulinase activity per g of the support with retention of 72% of the original activity. The optimum protein to molecular sieve ratio for the maximum retention of inulinase activity was 9 mg/g molecular sieve. The properties of soluble and immobilized enzyme differed in many respects. The optimum pH of the enzyme shifted from 6 to 5 and the optimum temperature of enzyme activity changed from 50 to 55°C. Km values were 6.7 mM for soluble enzyme and 10 mM for immobilized enzyme. The heat stability of the enzyme was improved by immobilization. Immobilized enzyme retained about 76% of the original activity after 40 days of storage at room temperature (30±2°C).

Ethanol production from Jerusalem artichoke juice using flocculent cells of Kluyveromyces marxianus

SummaryFlocculent cells ofKluyveromycesmarxianus SM 16-10 were used for batch production of ethanol from the inulin sugars derived from Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Using 20% initial sugar concentration, a maximum ethanol concentration of 92 g/l was achieved in 7 h, when the flocculent cell concentration was 30 g dry wt./l bioreactor volume. The same flocculent cells were used repeatedly for 7 batch runs starting with fresh medium at the beginning of each run. The ethanol yield was found to be almost constant at about 94% of the theoretical for all the 7 batch cycles, while the maximum ethanol production rate increased from 17.21 g ethanol/1/h during the first batch run to 21 g ethanol/1/h during the last batch run.

Novel Immobilized-Cell Systems for the Production of Ethanol from Jerusalem Artichoke

On decrit lutilisation de cellules immobilisees de Kluyveromyces marxianus pour produire lethanol en continu a partir dextraits de tubercules dans un reacteur a lit fixe horizontal. La levure est englobee dans des billes dalginate-Ca, la concentration cellulaire dans ces billes est particulierement elevee

Kinetics of ethanol production by immobilized Kluyveromyces marxianus cells at varying sugar concentrations of Jerusalem artichoke juice

SummaryKinetics of ethanol fermentation at varying sugar concentrations of Jerusalem artichoke tuber extract has been studied using Kluyveromyces marxianus cells immobilized in calcium alginate gel beads. A maximum ethanol concentration of 111 g/l was achieved at an initial sugar concentration of 260 g/l in 20 hours, when the immobilized cell concentration in the calcium alginate beads was 53.3 g dry wt./l bead volume. Ethanol yield remained almost unaffected by initial sugar concentration up to 250 g/l and was found to be about 88% of the theoretical. Maximum rate of ethanol production decreased from 22.5 g ethanol/l/h to 10.5 g ethanol/l/h while the maximum rate of total sugars utilization decreased from 74.9 g sugars/l/h to 28.5 g sugars/l/h as the initial substrate concentration was increased from 100 to 300 g/l. The concentration of free cells in the fermentation broth was low.