Efficient production of dihydroxyacetone from biodiesel-derived crude glycerol by newly isolated Gluconobacter frateurii

The efficient production of dihydroxyacetone (DHA) on biodiesel-derived glycerol based media was developed. A newly isolated strain, Gluconobacter frateurii CGMCC 5397, could convert crude glycerol to DHA with high yield and productivity. In shake-flask fermentation, the DHA concentration of 73.1 g l−1 was attained at 48 h using an optimum medium containing biodiesel-derived crude glycerol. When fed-batch fermentation was carried out in a 7-l stirred bioreactor with crude glycerol, the DHA concentration, productivity, and yield were 125.8 g l−1, 2.6 g l−1 h−1, and 90.5% at 48 h, respectively. This study suggests that the inexpensive biodiesel-derived crude glycerol could be utilized for efficient production of DHA by G. frateurii.