Fermentation process at reduced pressure

摘要

A fermentation process includes contacting a carbohydrate source with a microorganism in an aqueous fermentation broth to form a fermentation product which is a salt or a product with a boiling point above the boiling point of water. The fermentation process is carried out at a pressure which is below atmospheric pressure and at least at the value where the reaction medium is at its boiling point at the fermentation temperature. Water is evaporated and removed from the reactor during the fermentation in an amount which is at least 20% of the volume of liquid present in the reactor at the start of the fermentation. A fermentation process at reduced pressure while removing a substantial amount of water removes a surplus of water in the system, ensures removal of reaction heat, and may lead to improved fermentation quality.

主权项

1. A method of producing carboxylic acid which boiling point is above the boiling point of water by a fermentation process with increased yield of produced carboxylic acid as compared to a conventional atmospheric fermentation wherein the yield is calculated as gram of product per gram of converted substrate; the method comprises
contacting a carbohydrate source under fermentation conditions in a reactor with a microorganism capable of producing said carboxylic acid in an aqueous fermentation broth; and adding a basic solution to the fermentation broth during fermentation of said producing carboxylic acid to keep the pH in a predetermine range; wherein the fermentation process is carried out at a pressure which is below atmospheric pressure carried out at a fermentation temperature which is at the boiling point of fermentation broth under said pressure wherein said temperature allows the microorganism to produce said carboxylic acid, and wherein under said pressure water is evaporated and removed from the reactor during the fermentation in an amount which is at least 20% of the volume of liquid present in the reactor at the start of the fermentation thereby producing the carboxylic acid with the increased yield.