Among 18 tested strains of Claviceps spp., 7 produced significant amounts of exocellular polysaccharide (EPS). The maximum production of EPS was found in fermentation broth of Claviceps viridis. The kinetics of growth, substrate consumption, and EPS production in the batch, aerobic, submerged culture of this fungus were investigated in detail. The experimental data were processed by a simple mathematical model describing mass balance of growth, substrate consumption, formation of intermediates, and production of EPS. The parameters of the model were estimated from data obtained in cultivation performed in flasks and two laboratory fermentors of different size. Physiological similarity was obtained during process scale-up in volumetric ratio 1:100. The sugar consumption efficiency (52%) and observed EPS productivity (1.9 kg/m3 per d) were comparable with literature data.

Institute of Microbiology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 142 20 Prague Czechia

See more in PubMed

Appl Microbiol. 1964 Jul;12:321-6 PubMed

Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2001;46(6):559-63 PubMed

Folia Microbiol (Praha). 1998;43(5):475-6 PubMed

Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2003;48(1):27-44 PubMed

Folia Microbiol (Praha). 1997;42(1):3-29 PubMed

Int J Food Microbiol. 2002 Nov 15;79(1-2):131-41 PubMed

Biotechnol Bioeng. 2004 Jan 20;85(2):234-6 PubMed

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2002 Nov 5;216(2):145-9 PubMed

Carbohydr Res. 1996 Feb 7;281(1):143-54 PubMed

J Nat Prod. 2002 Jul;65(7):1039-40 PubMed

J Gen Microbiol. 1968 May;51(3):337-52 PubMed

Res Microbiol. 2002 Nov;153(9):585-92 PubMed

J Gen Microbiol. 1974 Jun;82(2):345-61 PubMed

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2002 Nov;60(3):258-74 PubMed

Physiological dendrogram of Claviceps spp. based on sucrose metabolism in submerged cultures and its comparison with phylogenetic tree