Co-culture of myxobacteria and Bacillus for enhanced metabolite production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11932891-B2
Application number	US-202017439600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2020
Priority date	Apr 1, 2019
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

The subject invention provides microbe-based products and efficient methods of producing them. In specific embodiments, methods are provided for enhanced production of microbial biosurfactants, the methods comprising co-cultivating Myxococcus xanthus and Bacillusamyloliquefaciens. In preferred embodiments, co-cultivation is carried out continuously for an indefinite period of time. Microbe-based products produced according to the subject methods are also provided, as well as their uses in, for example, agriculture, oil and gas recovery, and health care.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for enhanced production of one or more microbial growth by-products, the method comprising co-cultivating a first microorganism and a second microorganism in a fermentation reactor,
wherein the first microorganism is a myxobacterium and the second microorganism is B. amyloliquefaciens NRRL B-67928, and
wherein a greater concentration of the one or more microbial growth by-products is achieved than would be achieved if the first and second microorganisms were cultivated individually.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the myxobacterium is a Myxococcus spp.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the Myxococcus is M. xanthus.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more growth by-products are biosurfactants.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the biosurfactants are lipopeptides.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the lipopeptides are surfactin, iturin and/or fengycin.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the biosurfactants are glycolipids and/or fatty acid esters.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a greater cell biomass is achieved for the first and/or second microorganism than if the first and second microorganisms were cultivated separately.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein co-cultivating the first and the second microorganisms comprises:
inoculating the fermentation reactor with the first microorganism and inoculating the fermentation reactor with the second microorganism, wherein the fermentation reactor comprises a liquid nutrient medium;
incubating the first and second microorganisms under conditions favorable for growth and production of the one or more microbial growth by-products;
extracting the one or more growth by-products from the reactor;
collecting the one or more growth by-products in a collection container; and, optionally,
purifying the one or more growth by-products.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the liquid nutrient medium comprises a particulate anchoring carrier suspended therein as a site for nucleating microbial growth.

11. The method of claim 9 , carried out continuously for 1 week or longer, wherein the one or more growth by-products are extracted and collected on a consistent basis, and wherein the liquid nutrient medium is continuously replenished.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more growth by-products are produced in the form of a foam layer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first microorganism stimulates enhanced production of the one or more growth by-products by the second microorganism.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the growth by-products are produced at a concentration that is at least 0.01% to at least 90% greater than if the first or the second microorganisms were cultivated separately.

Assignees

• Locus Solutions Ipco Llc

Inventors

• Farmer Sean
• Alibek Ken
• Chen Yajie

Classifications

• C12P21/02 Primary

  having a known sequence of two or more amino acids, e.g. glutathione · CPC title

• C12N1/20

  Bacteria; Culture media therefor · CPC title

• C12N1/34

  Processes using foam culture · CPC title

• C12P7/6436

  Fatty acid esters · CPC title

• C12P19/00

  Preparation of compounds containing saccharide radicals (ketoaldonic acids C12P7/58) · CPC title