Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Production of Chemicals by Klebsiella pneumoniae Using Bamboo Hydrolysate as Feedstock
Published on: June 29, 2017
Succinic acid production from glycerol by Actinobacillus succinogenes using dimethylsulfoxide as electron acceptor
Margarida Carvalho1, Mariana Matos, Christophe Roca
1REQUIMTE, DQ/FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
Abstract:
Glycerol, a highly abundant byproduct of the biodiesel industry, constitutes today a cheap feedstock for biobased succinic acid (SA) production. Actinobacillus succinogenes is one of the best SA producers. However, glycerol consumption by this biocatalyst is limited because of a redox imbalance during cell growth. The use of an external electron acceptor may improve the metabolism of SA synthesis by A. succinogenes in glycerol. In this study, the effect of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), an electron acceptor, on glycerol consumption and SA production by A. succinogenes under controlled fermentation conditions was investigated. Concentrations of DMSO between 1 and 4% (v/v) greatly promoted glycerol consumption and SA production by A. succinogenes. During fed-batch cultivation, SA concentration reached 49.62 g/L, with a product yield of 0.87 gSA/gGLR and a maximum production rate of 2.31 gSA/Lh, the highest values so far reported in the literature for A. succinogenes using glycerol as carbon source. These results show that using DMSO as external electron acceptor significantly promotes glycerol consumption and succinic acid production by A. succinogenes and may be used as a co-substrate, opening new perspectives for the use of glycerol by this biocatalyst.
Related Concept Videos
Production of Organic Acids
The Citric Acid Cycle
Fates of Pyruvate
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...
Products of the Citric Acid Cycle
The Citric Acid Cycle: Overview
The citric...
Sulfur Assimilation
