title: Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus zeae and Veillonella cricetifor the production of propionic acid.
abstract: : In this work a defined co-culture of the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus zeae and the propionate producer Veillonella criceti has been studied in continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and in a dialysis membrane reactor. It is the first time that this reactor type is used for a defined co-culture fermentation. This reactor allows high mixing rates and working with high cell densities, making it ideal for co-culture investigations. In CSTR experiments the co-culture showed over a broad concentration range an almost linear correlation in consumption and production rates to the supply with complex nutrients. In CSTR and dialysis cultures a strong growth stimulation of L. zeae by V. criceti was shown. In dialysis cultures very high propionate production rates (0.61 g L-1h-1) with final titers up to 28 g L-1 have been realized. This reactor allows an individual, intracellular investigation of the co-culture partners by omic-technologies to provide a better understanding of microbial communities.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, Hamburg University of Technology, Denickestr,15, 21071 Hamburg, Germany. AZE@tuhh.de.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: Wael
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sabra
authors.forename: An-Ping
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Zeng