This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Combet-Blanc, Y. Articles by Kergoat, P. Y. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Combet-Blanc, Y. Articles by Kergoat, P. Y. Agricola Articles by Combet-Blanc, Y. Articles by Kergoat, P. Y.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Feb 1995, 656-659, Vol 61, No. 2
Copyright © 1995, American Society for Microbiology

Effect of pH on Bacillus thermoamylovorans Growth and Glucose Fermentation

Y Combet-Blanc, KK Kalamba and PY Kergoat
Laboratoire de Microbiologie Institut Francais de Recherche Scientifique pour le Developpement en Cooperation, Universite de Provence, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie et dEnergetique, ENSUT, Dakar, Senegal

The effect of pH on the growth and physiology of Bacillus thermoamylovorans, a new moderately thermophilic and non-spore-forming bacterium isolated from palm wine, was studied. Growth occurred from pH 5.4 to 8.5, with optimum growth at 7.0. During the exponential growth phase at optimum pH, glucose was consumed at the maximum rate (qs), 17.87 mmol g(sup-1) h(sup-1), and was mainly fermented into acetate, ethanol, and formate (76.5% of metabolites produced). In acidic or alkaline conditions, glucose specific consumption rates were considerably reduced (qs = 8.06 mmol g(sup-1) h(sup-1) at pH 5.6 and 2.85 mmol g(sup-1) h(sup-1) at pH 8.4), and a switch in glucose metabolism toward lactate production (62.6% of metabolites produced at pH 5.6 and 41.2% of those produced at pH 8.4) was observed. Moreover, optimum cellular yield (Y(infx/ATP)), 14.8 g mol(sup-1), and optimum energy yield (Y(infATP/s)), 2.65 mol mol(sup-1), were observed at neutrality. The results of this study were compared with published data about lactic acid bacteria; this comparison allowed us to complement our previous taxonomic study of B. thermoamylovorans and to identify additional phenotypic differences between B. thermoamylovorans and lactobacilli.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Combet-Blanc, Y., Dieng, M. C., Kergoat, P. Y. (1999). Effect of Organic Complex Compounds on Bacillus thermoamylovorans Growth and Glucose Fermentation. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 4582-4585 [Abstract] [Full Text]