Influence of sugar source (lactose, glucose, galactose) on 2,3-butanediol production by Klebsiella oxytoca NRRL-B199.

The ability of Klebsiella oxytoca NRRL-B199 to use either lactose or the mixture of glucose and galactose as substrate for the production of 2,3-butanediol was studied in batch fermentations with different conditions of aeration and pH. 2,3-butanediol was undetected, or present in minute concentration in the fermentation broths with lactose, while it was the main product from glucose + galactose with final concentrations of up to 18.8g/l in media at pH 6.0. Under conditions optimal for 2,3-butanediol synthesis, when aeration limited growth, the rate of biomass growth was more tightly related to the aeration rate in lactose medium than in glucose + galactose medium. These relations suggest that the growth rate is very low on lactose but still considerable on glucose + galactose when aeration rate tends toward zero. Corresponding, the metabolism is more oxidative in the former medium, yielding mainly acetate as product.