Improved propionic acid production from glycerol with metabolically engineered Propionibacterium jensenii by integrating fed-batch culture with a pH-shift control strategy

Propionic acid (PA) production with metabolically engineered Propionibacterium jensenii (pZGX04-gldA) was improved by integrating fed-batch culture with a two-stage pH control strategy in a 3-L fermenter. The following two-stage pH control strategy was used: the pH was controlled at 5.9 for 0–36 h and shifted to 6.5 after 36 h. The PA titer was increased to 21.43 g/L. On the basis of pH control, the influence of fed-batch culture on PA production was further investigated and the maximum PA production (34.62 g/L) was obtained when glycerol was fed at a constant rate of 3.33 mL/h from 60 to 132 h with an initial glycerol concentration of 25 g/L. Crude glycerol was then used to produce PA using the optimized strategies, and maximal PA production reached 37.26 g/L. The strategies may be useful for the production of PA by other propionibacteria species.