Series fermentation production of ornithine and succinic acid from cane molasses by Corynebacterium glutamicum

•Series fermentation production of ornithine and succinic acid by Corynebacterium glutamicum.•The effect of different carbon sources on aerobic or anaerobic fermentation stages were studied.•Reduce fermentation costs by using molasses as series fermentation feedstock.

The production of ornithine and succinic acid by Corynebacterium glutamicum CGMCC1006-ΔldhA media was performed using cane molasses as a low-cost material under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. The use of a series fermentation process would reduce both production costs and excess bacteria. In this work, the ornithine concentration reached 14.93 g L−1 within 72 h when using the optimal medium containing molasses pretreated with sulphuric acid and coupled with polyacrylamide, whereas a succinic acid concentration of 13.11 g L−1 was attained after 12 h using a medium containing molasses pretreated with sulphuric acid. In fed-batch fermentation, the succinic acid concentration reached 35.13 g L−1 within 54 h when using molasses. The present study suggests that the use of molasses as a raw material in series fermentation for the production of ornithine and succinic acid by C. glutamicum can significantly reduce the production costs and the amount of excess biomass.