Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Vol.70-72, 863-868, 1998
Simultaneous enzymatic synthesis of gluconic acid and sorbitol - Continuous process development using glucose-fructose oxidoreductase from Zymomonas mobilis
The production of sorbitol and gluconic acid by isolated glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) from Zymomonas mobilis has been studied in a convective, 100-mL loop reactor with tangential ultrafiltration Using a dilution rate of 0.04/h and 5 kU/L GFOR, substrate conversion (3 M sugar) in a single stage was >85%, and productivities of 126 g sorbitol/(L.d) were obtained. At a constant recycle rate (3/min) and a membrane area of 50 cm(2), the dilution rates land thus productivities) were however limited by a more than 30-fold reduction of the permeate flow in the presence of high sugar and protein concentrations (5 g/L). Protein was added, together with 10 mM dithiothreitol, to improve the stability of GFOR during substrate turnover and crossflow filtration, thus leading to a stable operation of the enzyme reactor for at least 5 d.