Mitsubishi Petrochemical Company Limited

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

Petroleum Energy Center

Terukazu Nara

Hideaki Yukawa

Masato Terasawa

Makoto Goto

Yoshihiro Takayama

Hisashi Yamagata

Yukie Satoo

Yasukazu Uchida

Yasurou Kurusu

Makiko Fukushima

Mitsunobu Shimazu

Keiko Kohama

Izuru Tokumaru

Nobutake Fugono

Kazuoki Osumi

Fumaric acid is produced by reacting a culture of a microorganism which produces maleate isomerase that exhibits a maximum activity at not less than 50.degree. C. or a treated product thereof with maleic acid in an aqueous solution, and isomerizing maleic acid to produce fumaric acid. L-aspartic acid is produced by reacting both of a culture of a microorganism which produces maleate isomerase or a treated product thereof and a culture of a microorganism which produces aspartase or a treated product thereof with maleic acid and ammonia in an aqueous solution, producing L-aspartic acid from maleic acid and ammonia by enzyme reactions, and recovering L-aspartic acid from the reaction mixture.

Method of producing fumaric acid

There is disclosed a process for preparing indigo which comprises bringing an indigo-producing bacteria belonging to genus Acinetobacter or treated products thereof into contact with an aqueous solution containing at least indole to have indigo formed and accumulated in the aqueous solution; and collecting indigo from the aqueous solution.

Process for preparing indigo

A method for producing L-threonine, which comprises subjecting at least L- or DL-aspartic acid or a salt thereof to enzymatic reaction according to the reaction system not accompanied with growth of microorganism cells in an aqueous solution in the presence of a microorganism and collecting L-threonine formed, wherein the microorganism is a biotin-requiring microorganism for the growth belonging to coryneform bacterium; a plasmid comprising a DNA fragment containing at least a gene encoding biosynthesis of threonine which can be expressed within a biotin-requiring microorganism cell for the growth belonging to coryneform bacterium and a DNA fragment containing a gene encoding autonomous replication within coryneform bacterium cell; and a biotin-requiring microorganism for the growth belonging to coryneform bacterium which has been transformed with the plasmid described above, both of which are employed in the present method. According to the present invention, L-threonine can be produced with good yield, and further since production management becomes extremely easy without requiring cumbersome operation such as sterilization of the medium, etc. as in the fermentation method, L-threonine can be produced inexpensively in industry.

Method for producing L-threonine, and plasmid and microorganism employed

Microorganisms of the genus Pseudomonas containing aspartate beta-decarboxylase at a high level are produced by culturing said microorganism in a medium supplemented with a chelating agent. L-Alanine can be efficiently produced from L-aspartic acid said microorganisms or the treated product thereof.

Process for culturing microorganisms of the genus Pseudomonas and

There is disclosed a process for producing L-alanine by reacting in a single reaction tank, in an aqueous reaction mixture having a pH of 6 to 10 and containing at least one .alpha.-keto acid, fumaric acid or a salt thereof with ammonia or ammonium ions in the presence of two microorganisms having fumarase inactivity.

L-alanine production with two microorganisms having fumarase inactivity

An aqueous solution containing fumaric acid is reacted in the presence of an aerobically cultured product of a microorganism belonging to the Brevibacterium genus and having resistance to .alpha.-aminobutyric acid, whereby L-malic acid is produced.

Method of preparing L-malic acid

L-threonine is produced by aerobically culturing a bacterium belonging to the genus Acinetobacter, which utilizes ethanol and has an ability to produce and accumulate L-threonine, in a culture medium in which ethanol is the main carbon source to produce and accumulate L-threonine in a culture liquor and recovering L-threonine from the culture liquor. The bacterium is preferably a mutant of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus YK-1011 (Ferm-P No. 5910).

Process for producing L-threonine

A process for producing L-aspartic acid economically and efficiently from fumaric acid or a salt thereof and ammonia or an ammonium salt using a cultured product obtained by aerobically culturing an microorganism belonging to the Genus Brevibacterium and having resistance to .alpha.-amino-n-butyric acid.

Process for production of L-aspartic acid

A process for producing L-valine or L-lysine which comprises aerobically culturing a bacterium belonging to the genus Acinetobacter, which utilizes ethanol and has an ability to produce and accumulate L-valine or L-lysine, in a culture medium in which ethanol is the main carbon source to produce and accumulate L-valine and/or L-lysine and collecting.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Terukazu Nara