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Updated: Sep 13, 2025
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Using Ustilago maydis as a Trojan Horse for In Situ Delivery of Maize Proteins
Published on: February 8, 2019
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Low Oxygen Availability Increases Itaconate Production by Ustilago maydis.
Marianne Volkmar1, Wolfgang Laudensack1, Felix Bartzack1
1Institute of Bioprocess Engineering, University of Kaiserslautern‑Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
|August 2, 2025
Summary
Reducing energy use in itaconic acid production is key. Low oxygen levels surprisingly boost itaconic acid yield with Ustilago maydis, offering an efficient industrial biotechnology strategy.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Industrial Microbiology
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Itaconic acid is a vital monomer for high-performance polymers.
- Current industrial production uses Aspergillus terreus; Ustilago maydis is a newer alternative.
- The aerobic cultivation of U. maydis for itaconic acid is energy-intensive due to high gassing and stirring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate strategies for reducing energy consumption during itaconic acid production.
- To explore the impact of oxygen availability on itaconic acid production by U. maydis.
- To identify process control strategies for enhancing industrial-scale biotechnological production.
Main Methods:
- Cultivation of Ustilago maydis under varying oxygen conditions.
- Scale-up experiments from 0.4 L to 30 L bioreactors.
- Analysis of itaconic acid titer and yield under different oxygen availabilities.
Main Results:
- Low oxygen availability significantly increased itaconic acid titer and yield.
- This finding contrasts with typical organic acid fermentations and previous reports on U. maydis oxygen sensitivity.
- Scale-up studies confirmed the positive effect of restricted oxygen on itaconic acid production.
Conclusions:
- Restricted oxygen availability can be leveraged as a process control strategy to enhance itaconic acid production in U. maydis.
- This approach offers a novel method for improving the efficiency of industrial-scale biotechnological processes.
- Metabolic pathways in U. maydis appear to shift under low oxygen conditions, favoring itaconic acid synthesis.
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