• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.219-223
• /
• 1989

Effect of antifoam agents, silicone oil and neolin 302, was investigated on the production of prodnisolone by microbial $\Delta$$^1$-Dehydrogenation of hydrocortisone. The microbial process was conduct-ed by using a pseudo-crystallofermentation. By the hydrophobic-hydrophobic interaction, the steroid crystals aggregated with the antifoam agents. The aggregation resulted in a decrease of total mass transter area of substrate particles which is proportional to the dissolution rate of the solid substrate, and it consequently led to a significant decrease of the bioconversion rate. The bioconversion with neolin proceeded more slowly than with silicone oil. Increase of the concentration of the antifoam agents also yielded a significant decrease of the bioconversion rate.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.24-28
• /
• 1989

Effect of various fermentation parameter was investigated on the production of prednisolone by microbial $\Delta$'-dehydrogenation of hydrocortisone. The microbial conversion process was conducted by using pseudo-crystallo-fermentation techniques. The optimum temperature for the bioconversion process was found to be 35$^{\circ}C$. It was noted that the production rate of prednisolone was little affected within the initial pH range of 6.5-7.8, and also by the use of surfactant, Tween 80. Production rate of prednisolone was significantly reduced by the use of the antifoam agent, neolin. In a fermentor operation, however, large amount of antifoam agent should be used to remove foams generated by the high aeration rate, which resulted in n lower production rate of prednisolone than that from the shake flask experiment.