Concentration and purification of orotic acid directly from whey with an expanded bed adsorption system.

The development of an expanded bed process for the concentration and purification of orotic acid directly from whey is described. Different commercially available adsorbents were tested in series of pilot batch adsorption experiments to determine the most suitable separation system. Best results were achieved using a weak anion-exchange matrix. An elution protocol was established using MgCl2 as eluting agent to recover the adsorbed orotic acid with approximately 85% yield and 10-fold concentration. Purified orotic acid was precipitated under acid conditions with a yield of 95%.

New bioreactor-coupled rapid stopped-flow sampling technique for measurements of metabolite dynamics on a subsecond time scale.

Knowledge of concentrations of intracellular metabolites is important for quantitative analysis of metabolic networks. As far as the very fast response of intracellular metabolites in the millisecond range is concerned, the frequently used pulse technique shows an inherent limitation. The time span between the disturbance and the first sample is constrained by the time necessary to obtain a homogeneous distribution of the pertubation within the bioreactor. For determination of rapid changes, a novel sampling technique based on the stopped-flow method has been developed. A continuous stream of biosuspension leaving the bioreactor is being mixed with a glucose solution in a turbulent mixing chamber. Through computer-aided activation of sequentially positioned three-way valves, different residence times and thus reaction times can be verified. The application of this new sampling method is illustrated with examples including measurements of adenine nucleotides and glucose-6-phosphate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as well as measurements related to the PTS system in Escherichia coli.

Determination of in vivo kinetics of the starvation-induced Hxt5 glucose transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have investigated the role and the kinetic properties of the Hxt5 glucose transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The HXT5 gene was not expressed during growth of the yeast cells in rich medium with glucose or raffinose. However, it became strongly induced during nitrogen or carbon starvation. We have constructed yeast strains constitutively expressing only Hxt5, Hxt1 (low affinity) or Hxt7 (high affinity), but no other glucose transporters. Aerobic fed-batch cultures at quasi steady-state conditions, and aerobic and anaerobic chemostat cultures at steady-state conditions of these strains were used for estimation of the kinetic properties of the individual transporters under in vivo conditions, by investigating the dynamic responses of the strains to changes in extracellular glucose concentration. The K(m) value and the growth properties of the HXT5 single expression strain indicate that Hxt5 is a transporter with intermediate affinity.