Oxygen supply to bacterial suspensions of high cell densities by hydrogen peroxide

The supply of heterotrophically growing suspensions of Alcaligenes eutrophus PHB-4 with oxygen formed by the continuous addition of H2O2 in the presence of bovine liver catalase was found to be restricted to well-defined conditions. The catalase-H2O2 system proved to be suitable during the growth at low cell densities equivalent to 2 g dry weight/liter. When under these conditions the oxygen concentration was held constant at 1.8 mg O2/liter, the cells grew for 6-8 hr at a rate almost identical to that observed with conventional aeration. However, aeration with H2O2 for longer durations (10-20 hr) and at higher cell densities (5-20 g dry weight/liter) led invariably to cell damage and retardation of growth. The impairment of growth observed during the oxygen supply by the catalase-H2O2 system was traced back to the formation of gradually increasing steady-state concentrations of H2O2 in the medium. Possible sites of cell damage by H2O2 such as membrane function, excretion and function of siderophores, and synthesis of cell polymers have been studied, and the cytotoxic mechanism of low concentrations of H2O2 was discussed.