• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.411-416
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• 1990

Microbiological conversion of sterols to 17-ketosteroids has been recongnized as a source for commerical preparation of steroidal drugs. For the purpose of strain development, we isolated microorganisms through enrichment culture method and identified an isolate strain. The strain was closely related to Brevibacterium ergthrogenes. The optimal conditions for 1, 4-androstadiene-3, 17-dione (ADD) formation were as follows; pH 7.4, lactose 0.2%, beef extract 0.2%, bentonite 0.5% in the chlolesterol fermentation medium. Maximum production was obtained with the addition of $\alpha$, $\alpha$'-dipyridyl (1 mM, final conc.) at 17-20 hours after incubation.