Improved vitamin B12 production by step-wise reduction of oxygen uptake rate under dissolved oxygen limiting level during fermentation process

Effects of different oxygen transfer rates (OTR) on the cell growth and vitamin B12 biosynthesis of Pseudomonas denitrificans were first investigated under dissolved oxygen limiting conditions. The results demonstrated that high OTR accelerated cell growth and initial vitamin B12 biosynthesis rate, while lower OTR was critical for higher productivity in the late fermentation process. The oxygen uptake rates (OUR) corresponded well with OTR. Based on the metabolic intermediate analysis, a step-wise OUR control strategy was proposed. The strategy was successfully implemented in scale-up to an industrial fermenter (120,000 l). A stable maximum vitamin B12 production of 208 ± 2.5 mg/l was achieved, which was increased by 17.3% compared with the control. Furthermore, the glucose consumption coefficient to vitamin B12 was 34.4% lower than that of the control. An efficient and economical fermentation process based on OUR criterion was established for industrial vitamin B12 fermentation by P. denitrificans.