Itaconic acid

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2001, 56(3-4):289-295.

Biotechnological production of itaconic acid.[Reference: WebLink]

METHODS AND RESULTS:
Itaconic acid (IA) is an unsaturated dicarbonic organic acid. It can easily be incorporated into polymers and may serve as a substitute for petrochemical-based acrylic or methacrylic acid. It is used at 1–5% as a comonomer in resins and also in the manufacture of synthetic fibres, in coatings, adhesives, thickeners and binders. The favoured production process is fermentation of carbohydrates by fungi, with a current market volume of about 15,000 t/a. Due to the high price of about US$4/kg, the use of IA is restricted.
CONCLUSIONS:
At present, the production rates do not exceed 1 g l–1 h–1, accompanied by product concentrations of about 80 g l–1. New biotechnology approaches, such as immobilisation techniques, screening programmes and genetic engineering, could lead to higher productivity. Also, the use of alternative substrates may reduce costs and thus open the market for new and increased applications.

Biotechnology Letters, 1985, 7(3):167-172.

Itaconic acid production by immobilizedAspergillus terreus from xylose and glucose.[Reference: WebLink]

METHODS AND RESULTS:
Aspergillus terreus NRRC 1960 spores were entrapped in calcium alginate gel beads or alternotely the fungal mycelium was immobilized either on Celite R-626 or in agar gel cubes, and the biocatalyst was employed both in repeated batch and in continuous column reactors to produce Itaconic acid from D-xylose or D-glucose. The highest Itaconic acid yield obtained in a submerged culture batch fermentation was 54.5% based on total initial glucose (55 g/l) with a volumetric productivity of 0.32 g/l h, and 44.8% from xylose (67 g/l) with a productivity of 0.20 g/l h. In a repeated batch fermentation mycelium immobilized in agar gel had a productivity of 0.112 g/l h, and mycelium grown from spores immobilized in calcium alginate gel 0.06 g/l h, both from xylose (60 g/l). With the best immobilized biocatalyst system used employing Celite R-626 as a carrier, volumetric productivities of 1.2 g/l h from glucose and 0.56 g/l h from xylose (both at 60 g/l) were obtained in continuous column operation for more than 2 weeks.