Glucose uptake kinetics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae monitored with a newly developed FIA

The glucose content of the culture liquid during shift experiments and synchronized cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae H1022 (ATCC 32167) was monitored using a greatly improved and highly precise FIA. During shift-up experiments on the dilution rate, an overshoot of the glucose-concentration was observed. The amplitude of the overshoot showed a dependency on the duration of undisturbed cultivation before application of the shift. Mutarotational non-equilibrium was excluded as the cause of the observed overshoot. For the first time glucose measurements of oscillating cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are demonstrated with high accuracy and reproducibility. The data strongly support the proposals by Münch et al. (1992a, b) that faint oscillations in glucose concentration are responsible for the persistence of the synchronization. Analytical subsystems prove to be a powerful tool for investigation of the dynamics of metabolic pathways of microbial organisms. Accurate glucose measurements at low concentrations point out the limits and allow refinements of commonly used models.