Effect of carbon dioxide on growth of Pseudomonas putida ATCC 11172 on asparagine, citrate, glucose, and lactate in batch and continuous culture.

The growth of Pseudomonas putida ATCC 11172 on L-asparagine, citrate, D-glucose, and L-lactate was followed in air and in 40% CO2 + air, using batch and carbon-limited continuous cultures. Batch cultures in air utilized a mixture of the carbon sources simultaneously. However, a change to 40% CO2 favoured the utilization of glucose. The maximum specific growth rate (mumax) in air was about 0.3 h-1 on glucose and 0.6 h-1 on the other carbon sources. In CO2, the mumax for glucose was reduced by 16% compared with almost 60-70% for the others. An order of preference for the different carbon sources in continuous cultures was determined by comparing the dilution rates at which the different carbon sources started to appear in the effluent. Glucose was the first compound to appear as the dilution rate increased (lowest preference when grown in air). In 40% CO2, the mumax for glucose was slightly higher than the others and the recorded preference for glucose in continuous culture was equal to that for citrate but was somewhat lower than that of lactate and asparagine. D-Gluconate and glucono-delta-lactone were produced as a step in the utilization of glucose. The D-gluconate production was enhanced by CO2.