• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.717-725
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• 1996

We have developed an efficient immobilized cell separator for continuous operation of immobilized fungal cell cultures, and applied this separator to actual fermentation process for the production of cyclosporin A (CyA), a powerful immunosuppressant. In the experiments employing highly viscous polymer (carboxymethyl cellulose) solution, the decantor showed good separating performances at high solution viscosites and fast dilution rates. Air duct and cylindrical separator installed inside the decantor turned out to play key roles for the efficient separation of the immobilized cells. By installing the decantor in an immobilized perfusion reactor system (IPRS), continuous immobilized culture was stably carried out even at high dilution rate for a long period, leading to high productivities of free cells and CyA. Almost no immobilized biomass existed in effuluent stream of the IPRS, demonstrating the effectiveness of the decan- tor system for a long-term continuous fermentation. It was noteworthy that we could obtain these results despite of the unfavorable fermentation conditions, i.e., reduced density of the biosupports caused by overgrowth of cells inside the bead particles and existence of high density of suspended fungal cells (10g/l) in the fermentation broth.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.544-549
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• 2006

The performance of immobilized fungal cells on celite beads for the production of gibberrelic acid was investigated in flasks and 7-L stirred-tank reactor. Repeated incubations of immobilized fungal cells increased cell concentrations and volumetric productivity. The maximum volumetric productivity obtained in the immobilized-cell culture was 3-fold greater than that in suspended-cell culture. The concentration of cotton seed flour (CSF), among the various nutrients supplied, most significantly influenced productivity and operational stability. Notably, insoluble components in CSF were found to be essential for production. CSF at 6 g/L with 60 g/L glucose was found to be optimal for gibberellic acid production and stable operation by preventing excessive cell growth.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.22-29
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• 1996

Immobilized bioprocess was carried out for continuous production of cyclosporin A (CyA) produced intracellularly as a secondary metabolite by a filamentous fungus, Tolypocladium inflatum. Immobilization procedure for entrapping conidiospores of the producer was significantly simplified by use of a modified immobilization technique. A newly-designed immobilized perfusion reactor system (IPRS) showed good process benefits as demonstrated by the role of the high density immobilized cells as an efficient biomass generator, continuously supplying highly active CyA-producing free cells (1.0g/$\ell$/hr) even at very high dilution rate ($0.1hr^{-1}$). IPRS bioprocess was possible since efficient decantor system developed in our laboratory separated the sloughed-off free cells from the immobilized biomass effectively, thus overcoming wash-out phenomenon frequently encountered in continuous free cell cultures. Furthermore the released-free cells remaining in the bulk solution did not appear to cause substrate mass transfer limitation which was often experienced in suspended mycelial fungal cell fermentations. The primary reason for this was that the suspension broth of the IPRS mainly consisted of roundshaped short mycelial fragments and conidiospores, still remaining Newtonian even at high cell density. In parallel with IPRS bioprocess development, other key factors to be considered necessarily for significant increase in CyA productivity would be strain improvement and medium optimization for the immobilized cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.767-772
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• 2008

Biodegradation of endocrine-disrupting phthalates [diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP)] was investigated with 10 white rot fungi isolated in Korea. When the fungal mycelia were added together with 100 mg/l of phthalate into yeast extract-malt extract-glucose (YMG) medium, Pleurotus ostreatus, Irpex lacteus, Polyporus brumalis, Merulius tremellosus, Trametes versicolor, and T. versicolor MrP1 and MrP13 (transformant of the Mn-repressed peroxidase gene of T. versicolor) could remove almost all of the 3 kinds of phthalates within 12 days of incubation. When the phthalates were added to 5-day pregrown fungal cultures, most fungi except I. lacteus showed the increased removal of the phthalates compared with those of the non-pregrown cultures. In both culture conditions, p. ostreatus showed the highest degradation rates for the 3 phthalates tested. BBP was degraded with the highest rates among the 3 phthalates by all fungal strains. Only 14.9% of 100 mg/I BBP was degraded by the supernatant of P. ostreatus culture in YMG medium in 4 days of incubation, but the washed or homogenized mycelium of P. ostreatus could remove 100% of BBP within 2 days even in distilled water, indicating that the initial BBP biodegradation by P. ostreatus may be attributed to mycelium-associated enzymes rather than extracellular enzymes. The biodegradation rate of BBP by the immobilized cells of P. ostreatus was almost same as that in the suspended culture. The estrogenic activity of 100 mg/I DMP decreased during biodegradation by P. ostreatus.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 1992

A simple and effective method has been developed for the immobilization of lipase producing Rhizopus chinensis on polyurethane foam. In this method, the fungal cells with 1, 3 specific lipase in there inside are immobilized within the foam matrix. Four types of commercially available polyurethane foam were tested. The ultimate purpose of the process is to produce low-cost biocatalysts for lipase-catalyzed reactions, which are being increasingly used for industrial applications. Effects of several parameters were studied on the cell loading and the hydrolytic activity of intracellular lipase after acetone drying. These parameters were the type, size, and amount of polyurethane foam. In all the cases, the intracellular lipase activity obtained with the foam was approximately twice greater than that obtained in the absence of the foam.