Improving the performance of cell biocatalysis and the productivity of acetoin from 2,3-butanediol using a compressed oxygen supply

Abstract

Abstract Acetoin is useful as a food additive and a valuable intermediate chemicalwhich can be made from 2, 3-butanediol. To improve the production of acetoin, a compressed oxygen supply in a sealed aerated stirred tank reactor (COS-SSTR) based method is adopted. The strain of Gluconobacter oxydansNL71 was used for bio-oxidization of 2, 3-butanediol to acetoin. After optimization of the fed-batch concentration in an aerated stirred-tank reactor, the yield of acetoin was 97.6 g L−1from an initial substrate concentration of 40 g L−1 2, 3-butanediol. To improve the efficiency of acetoin production, we supplied COS-SSTR to obtain 165.9 g L−1acetoin with a productivity of 11.43 g L−1 h−1in 36 h. The product concentration and yield of the process are both new record for acetoin bioproduction. Our results demonstrate a promising industrial potential of the bacterial cell-catalysis of 2, 3-butanediol to acetoin in a significantly increased bioconversion rate.