• KSBB Journal
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.445-451
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• 1999

Glutathione production was carried out using mixed cells of E. coli TG1/pDG7 $\alpha$ and bakers yeast in an Aerated Slurry Bioreactor. Glutathione-producing enzymes were stable for 34 hours, yielding 4.6 mM glutathione in suspension reaction. Glutahione production with high density mixed cells was studied as a function of flow rate in an Aereated Slurry Bioreactor. Glutathione concentration was higher than that in suspension reaction for 32 hours at the substrate feeding rate of 5.2 mL/hr with cell recycle in continuous Aerated Slurry Bioreactor. It was for 42 hours at 2.6 mL/hr and 22 hours at 5.2 mL/hr without cell recycle. Glutahione productivity was 25.7 mg/g wet $cell{\cdot}hr$ at the substrate feeding rate of 10.4 mL/hr with cell recycle, but 5.28 mg/g wet $cell{\cdot}hr$ at 5.2 mL/hr and 1.65 mg/g wet $cell{\cdot}hr$ at 2.6 mL/hr without cell recycle. Effective production time increased from 25 to 45 hours, by using a surfactant, tween 80. As a purfing gas, nitrogen was tested instead of air to avoid a possible oxidizing effect on glutathione-producing enzymes, resulting in the increase of effective production time to 40 hours.