Design of a fungal bioprocess for vanillin production from vanillic acid at scalable level by Pycnoporus cinnabarinus

Abstract

The biotechnological process of vanillin production from vanillic acid by Pycnoporus cinnabarinus was scaled-up at the laboratory level. Vanillin production was studied in two types of bioreactors, a mechanically agitated and an air-lift bioreactor. In the mechanically agitated bioreactor where vanillin was produced in greater quantities, oxygen availability was studied during the growth and production phases. A maximal aeration rate (90 l/h equivalent to 0.83 volume of air/volume of medium/min or vvm) during the growth phase and a minimal aeration rate (30 l/h equivalent to 0.28 vvm) during the production phase were necessary to increase vanillin production to 1260 mg/ l. Vanillic acid bioconversion to vanillin occurred under the conditions of reduced dissolved oxygen concentration, gentle agitation, high carbon dioxide production and low specific growth rate. However, under these conditions, vanillin production was accompanied by a significant amount of methoxyhydroquinone. Vanillin over a concentration of 1000 mg/ l was shown to be highly toxic to the growth of P. cinnabarinus on agar medium. The application of selective XAD-2 resin led to a reduction of vanillin concentration in the medium, thus limiting its toxicity towards the fungal biomass as well as the formation of unwanted by-products such as methoxyhydroquinone and allowed the concentration of vanillin produced to reach 1575 mg/ l.