Analysis and comparison of metabolic networks for the fermention of Glucose to 1,3-Propanediol with MetaboLogica

Abstract:
In times of unstable oil prices, the production of polymers based on renewable resources gains in importance. 1,3-Propanediol - a monomer in polycondensation processes - can be produced from Glucose by two different fermentation strategies: 1-stage or 2-stages fermentation. Since three years the 2-stages approach is followed within the Unit Operation Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Now the experimental work is supplemented by a metabolic pathway analysis in order to evaluate the efficiency of the process and to give suggestions for improvement. Therefore models for both strategies are built with the help of the software tool MetaboLogica. A comparsion could prove that the approaches differ neither in their yield horizons nor in the amount of by-product that is formed. As the results achieved by the Unit Operation Laboratory are judged as good, it is suggested that the process should be optimized concerning its continuity. In addition opportunities for metabolic engineering to improve the fermentations, especially regarding the Acetate formation, are pointed out.

Keywords:
metabolic network, 1,3-Propanediol, modelling