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Maximizing Hydrogen Production and Substrate Consumption by Escherichia coli WDHL in Cheese Whey Fermentation

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Abstract

Fermentative hydrogen production is strongly affected by pH. In order to maximize hydrogen production and substrate consumption in Escherichia coli ΔhycA, ΔlacI (WDHL) cheese whey fermentation, the influence of pH control at values of 5.5, 6, and 6.5 was studied in batch stirred-tank bioreactors. From the conditions evaluated, pH 6.5 was the best condition, at which the highest cumulative hydrogen production and yield (1.78 mol H2/mol lactose) were obtained. Moreover, at this pH, all carbohydrates from the cheese whey were consumed, and a mix of ethanol and organic acids, mainly lactate, were produced from glucose, whereas galactose yielded acetate, ethanol, and succinate. Operating the reactor at pH 5.5 resulted in the highest maximum specific production rate, but smaller hydrogen yield because only glucose was metabolized and galactose was accumulated. At pH 6, not all cheese whey carbohydrates were consumed, and it was not favorable for hydrogen production. Lactose consumption and growth kinetics were not affected by the pH. The results show the importance of controlling pH to maximize hydrogen production and substrate consumption using cheese whey as substrate.

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Acknowledgments

We thank CONACyT for partial funding of this work through SENER grant 150001 and CONACyT-Básicas 178988. L.M. Rosales thanks CONACyT for scholarship number 174494. The authors acknowledge the technical assistance of Leandro G Ordoñez-Acevedo, Dulce Maria Partida Gutiérrez, and Guillermo Vidriales Escobar. We thank Jennifer Eckerly Goss for the English revision.

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  1. Luis Manuel Rosales-Colunga

    Present address: Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Km 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera Irapuato-León, CP 36821, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Biología Molecular, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª secc, CP 78216, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

    Luis Manuel Rosales-Colunga, Zazil Donaxí Alvarado-Cuevas & Antonio De León Rodríguez

  2. División de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª secc, CP 78216, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

    Elías Razo-Flores

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  1. Luis Manuel Rosales-Colunga
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Correspondence to Luis Manuel Rosales-Colunga or Antonio De León Rodríguez.

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Rosales-Colunga, L.M., Alvarado-Cuevas, Z.D., Razo-Flores, E. et al. Maximizing Hydrogen Production and Substrate Consumption by Escherichia coli WDHL in Cheese Whey Fermentation. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 171, 704–715 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-013-0394-9

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