SCALE-UP OF GLUCOAMYLASE PRODUCTION BY SACCHAROMYCOPSIS-FIBULIGERA

The correlation between the yield of glucoamylase from cultures of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera IFO 0111 and the oxygen-transfer rate (OTR) was examined. There was an optimum OTR (30-35 x 10(-7) gmol O2/ml/min) for the production of glucoamylase, irrespective of the type of flask or jar fermentor (nominal volumes: 20-l, 100-l, 200-l and 4,000-l used. From experiments with a 100-l jar fermentor, we found that the optimum OTR resulted in the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) falling to zero for only a few hours when cell growth reached a maximum. Moreover, it appeared necessary to maintain this optimum OTR even after the cell growth ceased. When production of glucoamylase was examined in a 4,000-l stirred-tank fermentor (pilot-plant scale) at the optimum OTR, the total amount of glucoamylase produced reached 61 U/ml, which was almost the same as that produced in flasks and in the 100-l jar fermentor.