Mutant of Methylomonas methanolica and Its Characterization with Respect to Biomass Production from Methanol

A stable variant of Methylomonas methanolica, with a higher temperature optimum for growth, was obtained after mutagenic treatment and selection. The mutant strain M13V has an optimum growth temperature of 35 to 37 degrees C and a maximum at 43 degrees C, as compared with 30 and 40 degrees C for the wild strain. Strain M13V and M. methanolica have similar basic characteristics and cell composition. An extracellular polysaccharide is produced by both strains, but this property is more pronounced in strain M13V. In strain M13V the production is favored by high temperature, low growth rate, and oxygen limitation. In continuous culture of strain M13V, the polysaccharide production was partly growth associated and partly independent of the growth rate. The extracellular polysaccharide acted as a flocculating agent. A relationship between polysaccharide concentration and sedimentation rate was found. Biomass production from strain M13V is most effective at 35 degrees C with respect to both growth rate and substrate utilization. It was found that the yield coefficient for methanol was independent of the dilution rate, whereas the yield coefficient for oxygen increased and the production coefficient for carbon dioxide decreased at increasing dilution rates. These results are discussed in connection with the polysaccharide production.