Analysis of Organic Acids in Culture Medium Using Post-Column pH Buffering Organic Acid Analysis System

Introduction

The shift from emphasis on fossil fuels in recent years has been emphasized with increasingly active research into the bioproduction and manufacture of new energy sources and chemical products. In the field of bioproduction, microbial cells serve as factories. In the process by which sugars are metabolized to produce the desired compounds in the culture medium, organic acids such as pyruvic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, formic acid and succinic acid are also produced as metabolites. Accurate identification and quantification of these organic acids makes it possible to accurately grasp the metabolic state of the cell, for example elucidation of the flow of carbon introduced into the system. To improve production of the compounds of interest by the microorganism’s cells, results obtained from analysis of the culture medium to identify and quantify the metabolites make it possible to conduct an in-depth search for modification targets among the microorganism’s genes. This, therefore, elevates the importance of analysis of organic acids in the culture medium to further the study of bioproduction. Organic acid analysis is often conducted using an ultraviolet absorbance detector. However, when analyzing media, which typically comprise complex matrices, the risk of contaminant components overlapping target components increases. Here, we introduce an example of analysis of organic acids in a culture medium using post-column pH buffered electrical conductivity detection in combination with a dual column oven, a system that provides both improved separation and high-selectivity detection.

May 7, 2015 GMT