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Mathematical modeling of production of microbial lipids

Part II: Kinetics of lipid accumulation

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Abstract

In the microbial lipid production system using the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis, CFR-1, kinetics of lipid accumulation and substrate utilisation at initial substrate concentrations in the range of 20–100 kg/m3 were investigated using shake flask experiments. A mathematical representation based on logistic model for biomass and Luedeking-Piret model for lipid accumulation gave reasonably good agreement between the theoretical and experimental values for substrate concentration less than 60 kg/m3. The kinetic expressions and parameters obtained through shake flask studies were directly applied to experiments in the laboratory fermentors also and the models were found to hold good for the prediction of the change of biomass, product as well as substrate with time. The attainment of a saturation in the intracellular lipid accumulation with time, however, was not predicted by the model which was shown to be an inherent feature of the Luedeking-Piret model.

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Abbreviations

S 0, P 0 kg/m3 :

Initial concentrations of sugar and lipid respectively

S, S(t) kg/m3 :

Concentrations of sugar and lipid respeclively at any timet

p,p(t) L kg/m3 :

Maximum concentration of lipid produced

E %:

Maximum sugar utilised

dP/dt kg/(m3 · h):

Rate of lipid production

-dS/dt kg/(m3 · h):

Rate of sugar utilisation

μ max h−1 :

Maximum specific growth rate

X max kg/m3 :

Maximum biomass reached in a run

P max kg/m3 :

Maximum product concentration

m, n :

Constants used in Luedeking-Piret model in eq. (7)

α, β :

Constants used to predict residual sugar

k e :

maintainance coefficient

Y x g/g:

Biomass yield based on sugar consumed

Y p g/g:

Lipid yield based on sugar consumed

(dP/d t)stat kg/(m3 · h):

Rate of lipid production at stationary phase

(dS/dt)stat kg/(m3 · h):

Rate of sugar utilisation at stationary phase

References

  1. Sattur, A. P.; Karanth, N. G.: Mathematical modeling of production of microbial lipids. I — Kinetics of biomass growth. Bioprocess Engg. 6 (1991)

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  4. Yoon, R. H.; Rhee, J. S.: Quantitative physiology of Rhodotorula gracilis for microbial lipid production. Proc. Biochem. Oct (1983) 2–4

  5. Evans, C. T.; Ratledge, C.: Effect of nitrogen source on lipid accumulation in oleaginous yeasts. J. Gen. Microbiol. 130 (1984) 1693–1704

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fermentation Technology and Bioengineering, Central Food Technological Research Institute, 570013, Mysore, India

    N. G. Karanth & A. P. Sattur

Authors
  1. N. G. Karanth
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  2. A. P. Sattur
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Karanth, N.G., Sattur, A.P. Mathematical modeling of production of microbial lipids. Bioprocess Engineering 6, 241–248 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369553

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369553

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