Characterization of acidogenic phase metabolism in Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 (pCD07239) under different culture conditions

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the metabolic behavior of the engineered Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 (pCD07239) strain during the acidogenic phase under varying glucose concentrations and pH conditions. Unlike the wild-type C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824, the engineered strain exhibited negligible butyrate production and simultaneous butanol production during the acidogenic phase under limited glucose condition of 25 g/L. Specifically, batch fermentations of the engineered strain with 25 g/L glucose at a pH of around 5.0 (initially uncontrolled) demonstrated butanol production of 2.99 g/L, while butyrate remained below 0.30 g/L. Separately, in batch fermentations at pH 6.0 with 90 g/L glucose, acetate production nearly doubled compared to fermentations at pH 5.0 with the same glucose concentrations, reaching a maximum concentration of 11.43 g/L, while butyrate production remained relatively low at 4.04 g/L. Under these pH 6.0 and 90 g/L glucose conditions, butanol production reached 9.86 g/L. These findings indicate that C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 (pCD07239) maintained low butyrate production, even under conditions favoring acidogenesis, and consistently produced butanol. Additionally, the negligible production of acetone at pH 6.0 further indicates that the traditional phase transition was not prominent, suggesting altered regulation mechanisms in the engineered strain. These findings highlight C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 (pCD07239) strain’s unique metabolic profile and its potential for efficient biobutanol production under diverse conditions.