Skip to main content
Log in

Ethanol and amylase production by a newly isolated Clostridium sp.

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A newly isolated, anaerobic, mesophillic bacterium, Clostridium sp. strain YK-3, ferments pentoses, hexoses, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, such as soluble starch and glycogen, to ethanol and acetate. The potential of this strain for ethanol and amylase production has been examined. Ethanol was the major product and acetate a minor one. The organism could grow with soluble starch in the presence of 40 g ethanol/l. Extracellular α-amylase activity was detected when the strain was cultivated with soluble starch, glycogen or dextrin. The optimum pH of this amylase was 5.5 to 7.5 with an optimum temperature of 50°C.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ben-Bassat, A., Lamed, R. & Zeikus, J.G. 1981 Ethanol production by thermophilic bacteria: Metabolic control of end product formation in Thermoanaerobium brockii. Journal of Bacteriology 146, 192–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, M.P. 1972 Commentary on Hungate technique for culture of anaerobic bacteria. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 25, 1324–1328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cato, E.P., George, W.L. & Finegold, S.M. 1986 Genus Clostridium Prazmowski 1880, 23. In Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol. 2, 9th edn, eds Sneath, P.H.A., Mair, N.S., Sharpe, M.E. & Holt, J.G. pp. 1141–1200. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ensley, B., McHugh, J.J. & Barton, L.L. 1975 Effect of carbon sources on formation of α-amylase and glucoamylase by Clostridium acetobutyricum. Journal of General and Applied Microbiology 21, 51–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fogarty, W.M. & Kelly, C.T. 1979 Starch-degrading enzymes of microbial origin. Progress in Industrial Microbiology 15, 87–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuwa, H. 1954 A new method for microdetermination of amylase activity by the use of amylose as the substrate. Journal of Biochemistry, Tokyo 41, 583–603.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrero, A.A. & Gomez, R.F. 1980 Development of ethanol tolerance in Clostridium thermocellum: Effect of growth temperature. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 40, 571–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hungate, R.E. 1969 A roll tube method for cultivation of strict anaerobes. In Methods in Microbiology, Vol. 3B, eds Norris, J.R. & Ribbons, D.W. pp. 117–132. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyun, H.H. & Zeikus, J.G. 1985a General biochemical characterization of thermostable extracellular β-amylase from Clostridium thermosulfurogenes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 49, 1162–1167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyun, H.H. & Zeikus, J.G. 1985b General biochemical characterization of thermostable pullulanase and glucoamylase from Clostridium thermohydrosulfricum. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 49, 1168–1173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingle, M.B. & Erickson, R.J. 1978 Bacterial α-amylase. Advances in Microbiology 24, 257–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovitt, R.W., Longin, R. & Zeikus, J.G. 1984 Ethanol production by thermophilic bacteria: Physiological comparison of solvent effects on parent and alcohol-tolerant strains of Clostridium thermohydrosulfricum. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 48, 171–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • McWethy, S.J. & Hartman, P.A. 1977 Purification and some properties of an extracellular alpha-amylase from Bacteroides amylophilus. Journal of Bacteriology 129, 1537–1544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melasniemi, H. 1987 Effect of carbon source on production of thermostable α-amylase, pullulanase and α-glucosidase by Clostridium thermohydrosulfricum. Journal of General Microbiology 133, 883–890.

    Google Scholar 

  • Momose, T., Mukai, Y. & Watanabe, M. 1960 Determination of reducing sugars with 3:6-dinitrophthalic acid. Talanta 5, 275–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, W.D. & Khan, A.W. 1983 Ethanol production by a newly isolated anaerobe, Clostridium saccharolyticum: effects of culture medium and growth conditions. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 29, 342–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, W.D., Khan, A.W. & Van Den Berg, L. 1982 Clostridium saccharolyticum sp. nov., a saccharolytic species from sewage sludge. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 32, 132–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swings, J. & De Ley, J. 1984 Genus Zymomonas Kluyver and van Niel, 1936, 399. In Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, Vol. 1, eds Krieg, N.R. & Holt, J.G. pp. 576–580. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolan, J.Y. & Finn, R.K. 1987 Fermentation of d-xylose to ethanol by genetically modified Klebsiella planticola. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 53, 2039–2044.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ueki, A., Matsuda, K. & Ohtsuki, C. 1986 Sulfate reduction in the anaerobic digestion of animal waste. Journal of General and Applied Microbiology 32, 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ueki, A., Miyagawa, E., Minato, H., Azuma, R. & Suto, T. 1978 Enumeration and isolation of anaerobic bacteria in sewage digetor fluids. Journal of General and Applied Microbiology 24, 317–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiegel, J., Carreira, L.H., Mothershed, C.P. & Puls, J. 1983 Production of ethanol from biopolymers by anaerobic, thermophilic, and extreme thermophilic bacteria. II. Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus JW200 and its mutants in batch cultures and resting cell experiments. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Symposium 13, 193–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolin, M.J. & Miller, T.L. 1982 Interspecies hydrogen transfer: 15 years later. ASM News 48, 561–565.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Additional information

The authors are with the Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamagata University, Tsuruoka 997, Japan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ueki, A., Hirono, T., Sato, E. et al. Ethanol and amylase production by a newly isolated Clostridium sp.. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 7, 385–393 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329407

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00329407

Keywords

Navigation