Stoichiometry and kinetics of single and mixed substrate uptake in Aspergillus niger.

In its natural environment, the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger grows on decaying fruits and plant material, thereby enzymatically degrading the lignocellulosic constituents (lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin) into a mixture of mono- and oligosaccharides. To investigate the kinetics and stoichiometry of growth of this fungus on lignocellulosic sugars, we carried out batch cultivations on six representative monosaccharides (glucose, xylose, mannose, rhamnose, arabinose, and galacturonic acid) and a mixture of these. Growth on these substrates was characterized in terms of biomass yields, oxygen/biomass ratios, and specific conversion rates.

Development of tools for quantitative intracellular metabolomics of chemostat cultures.

In view of the high citric acid production capacity of , it should be well suited as a cell factory for the production of other relevant acids as succinic, fumaric, itaconic and malic. Quantitative metabolomics is an important tool in a synthetic biology approach to develop for the production of these acids. Such studies require well defined and tightly controlled cultivation conditions and proper rapid sampling, sample processing and analysis methods.

Production of 2-butanol through meso-2,3-butanediol consumption in lactic acid bacteria.

2-Butanol has been an issue of industries in many areas, for example, biofuel production (as an advanced alternate fuel), fermented beverages, and food (as taste-altering component). Thus, its source of production, the biological pathway, and the enzymes involved are of high interest. In this study, 42 different isolates of lactic acid bacteria from nine different species were screened for their capability to consume meso-2,3-butanediol and produce 2-butanol.