Propionic fermentation

If the propionate fermentation were maintained only by incoming pyruvate, the only end product would be propionic acid otherwise the cycle would be broken. However, many strains of propionibacteria pro-... 

Propionate fermentation CH3CH2COO +3H2O CH3COO + H+ + HCOr -)- 3H2)f... 

Lactic acid-producing bacteria associated with fermented dairy products have been found to produce antibiotic-like compounds caUed bacteriocins. Concentrations of these natural antibiotics can be added to refrigerated foods in the form of an extract of the fermentation process to help prevent microbial spoilage. Other natural antibiotics are produced by Penicillium wqueforti the mold associated with Roquefort and blue cheese, and by Propionibacterium sp., which produce propionic acid and are associated with Swiss-type cheeses (3). 

Factors affecting the accumulation of ansamitocins P-2, P-3, and P-4 in JSbocardia sp. C-15003 have been studied (246) the addition of isoleucine, propionate, ptopionaldehyde, or -ptopyl alcohol to the fermentation medium resulted in the increased production of P-2 the addition of valine, isobutyrate, isobutyraldehyde, or isobutyl alcohol increased the production of P-3, reaching more than 90% of the total ansamitocins produced and the addition of leucine, isovalerate, isovaleraldehyde, or isoamyl alcohol increased the production of P-4. 

Bakery Products. Sorbates are used in and/or on yeast-raised and chemically leavened bakery products. The internal use of sorbates in yeast-raised products at one-fourth the amount of calcium—sodium propionate that is normally added provides a shelf life equal to that of propionate without adversely affecting the yeast fermentation. Sorbates added at one-tenth the propionate level reduce the mix time by 30% (126). This internal treatment combined with an external spray of potassium sorbate can provide the same or an increased shelf life of pan breads, hamburger and hot-dog buns, English muffins, brown-and-serve roUs, and tortillas. The total sorbate useful in or on these baked goods ranges from 0.03 wt % for pan breads to 0.5 wt % for tortillas 0.2—0.3 wt % sorbic acid protects chemically leavened yellow and chocolate cakes (127). Emit-pie fillings and icings can be protected with 0.03—0.1 wt % sorbates. 

Najfpour, G.D., Propionic and Acetic Acid Fermentation using Propionibacterium acidipropionici in Batch and Continuous Culture , Ph.D. thesis, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 1983. 

Propionic 3 An end product of carbohydrate fermentation by rumen organisms ... 

The nature of the diet sets the basic pattern of metabohsm. There is a need to process the products of digestion of dietary carbohydrate, lipid, and protein. These are mainly glucose, fatty acids and glycerol, and amino acids, respectively. In ruminants (and to a lesser extent in other herbivores), dietary cellulose is fermented by symbiotic microorganisms to short-chain fatty acids (acetic, propionic, butyric), and metabohsm in these animals is adapted to use these fatty acids as major substrates. All the products of digestion are metabohzed to a common product, acetyl-CoA, which is then oxidized by the citric acid cycle (Figure 15-1). 

In mminants, whose main metabohc fuel is short-chain fatty acids formed by bacterial fermentation, the conversion of propionate, the major glucogenic product of rumen fermentation, to succinyl-CoA via the methyhnalonyl-CoA pathway (Figure 19—2) is especially important. 

The formation of hydrogen is accompanied with VFAs or solvent production during an anaerobic digestion process. Therefore, the distribution of VFA concentrations and their finctions is a usefiil indicator for monitoring hydrogen production. Fig. 3 shows the variations in alcohol and VFAs. Most of the VFAs were analyzed as acetate and butyrate, and most of the alcohols were analyzed as ethanol. The propionate concentration was below the analytical limit. It indicates that the anaerobic pathway in the reactor is not propionic-type fermentation but but5nrate-type fermentation. Clostridium butyricum is considered to be the dominant... 

Schauder R, B Schink (1989) Anaerovibrio glycerin sp. nov., an anaerobic bacterium fermenting glycerol to propionate, cell matter and hydrogen. Arch Microbiol 152 473-478. 

The successful use of crop plants as a production method for biopolymer not only depends on the amount of PHA accumulated in plants but also on the type and quality of the PHA synthesized. Since poly(3HB) is a polymer with poor physical characteristics [16], it was important to engineer plants for the synthesis of PHA co-polymers with better physical characteristics. Poly(3-hydroxybu-tyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [poly(3HB-co-3HV)] is the best studied co-poly-mer. Poly(3HB-co-3HV) has lower crystallinity, and is more flexible and less brittle than poly(3HB) homopolymer [16]. Synthesis of poly(3HB-co-3HV) in bacteria was first achieved by fermentation of R. eutropha on glucose and propionic acid [2]. For a number of years, production of poly(3HB-co-3HV),... 

The immunosuppressant compound170 FK-506, similar in effect to cyclosporin A, the leading drug for use in immune system suppression to prevent rejection of transplanted organs171, has been labelled at carbon atoms 10, 16, 18, 21a, 24 and 26 by fermentative biosynthesis using sodium [l-14C]propionate as a precursor172. The same 13C-labelled positions were derived from [l-13C]propionate. FK-506 producing culture Streptomyces tsukubaenis no 9993 has been utilized in this biosynthesis (120 h incubation at 29 °C). 

Miscellaneous Food Additives (Amendment) Regulations 1999 lays down the levels of propionates that can be added to bread. It also notes that propionates can form naturally in the fermentation of bread. 

Sour dough bread has a range of flavours that are not present in other bread also it keeps relatively well. The keeping properties, no doubt, originate from some of the products of the side-reactions that have taken place in the dough. There is no need to add propionic acid as a mould inhibitor as some is likely to be present naturally. Quite possibly, some of the substances produced by the fermentation would not be permitted as additives ... 

The VFAs, primarily formate, acetate, propionate, n-butyrate and isobutyrate, can be determined analytically on an ion chromatograph (Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 1998). Determination of fermentable, readily biodegradable substrate, SF, and fermentation products, SA, in units of COD requires that the VFA components be converted to this unit. The following example using formate demonstrates this ... 

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