Acetate-based production of itaconic acid with Corynebacterium glutamicum using an integrated pH-coupled feeding control

To date, most bio-based products of industrial biotechnology stem from sugar-based carbon sources originating from food and feed competing resources. Exemplary for bioproducts converted from glucose, the potential C5 platform chemical itaconic acid is presently produced by the filamentous fungus Aspergillus terreus. Here, an engineered strain of the industrial platform organism Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 was used for acetate-based production of itaconic acid to overcome current production difficulties. For this purpose, C. glutamicum ICDR453C (pEKEx2-malEcad(opt)) with a mutated icd variant for reduced isocitrate dehydrogenase activity was constructed harbouring pEKEx2-malEcad(opt), that includes a cis-aconitate dehydrogenase gene originating from A. terreus. Overall, a peak volumetric productivity of 1.01 g L(-1)h(-1) was achieved resulting in an itaconate titer of 29.2 g/L, by using an integrated pH-coupled acetate feeding control in a fed-batch process without base titration. The results support the high potential of acetate as alternative substrate for bioproduction.

Automated summary

To date, most bio-based products of industrial biotechnology are derived from sugar-based carbon sources, which compete with food and feed resources. In this study, an engineered strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 was used to produce itaconic acid from acetate, overcoming current production challenges. The results show the potential of using acetate as an alternative substrate for bioproduction, with a high peak volumetric productivity and itaconate titer achieved.