# US 2013/0157320 A1 · Process for producing sulfur-containing alpha-amino acid compound

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- Number: US 2013/0157320 A1
- Document ID: US20130157320A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/703,287
- Filed: 2011-06-30
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2010-06-30
- Assignees: Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
- Inventors: Hiroyuki Asako
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157320A1

## CPC

- C12P 13/04: Alpha- or beta- amino acids {(other amino acids C12P13/005)}
- C12P 13/12: Methionine; Cysteine; Cystine
- C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)}

## Abstract

The present invention provides a novel process for producing a sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound such as methionine. A process for producing a sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound represented by the formula (2): wherein R1 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms; comprising: a first step of culturing a microorganism capable of converting a sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound represented by the formula (1): wherein R1 is the same as defined above into the corresponding sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound in a culture medium containing a lower aliphatic alcohol to prepare a microbial cell of the microorganism; and a second step of reacting the sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound with the microbial cell of the microorganism obtained in the first step or a processed product of the microbial cell.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for producing a sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound represented by the formula (2):
wherein R1 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms;
comprising:
a first step of culturing a microorganism capable of converting a sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound represented by the formula (1):
wherein R1 is the same as defined above;
into the corresponding sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound in a culture medium containing a lower aliphatic alcohol to prepare a microbial cell of the microorganism; and
a second step of reacting the sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound with the microbial cell of the microorganism obtained in the first step or a processed product of the microbial cell.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein the microorganism is capable of preferentially oxidizing the hydroxyl group of the sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein the microorganism is one or more microorganisms selected from a group consisting of microorganisms of the genus Alcaligenes, microorganisms of the genus Bacillus, microorganisms of the genus Pseudomonas, microorganisms of the genus Rhodobacter and microorganisms of the genus Rhodococcus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein the microorganism is one or more microorganisms selected from a group consisting of Alcaligenes denitrificans, Alcaligenes eutrophus, Alcaligenes faecalis, Alcaligenes sp., Alcaligenes xylosoxydans, Bacillus alvei, Bacillus badius, Bacillus brevis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus firmus, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus moritai, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus sphaericus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus validus, Pseudomonas denitrificans, Pseudomonas ficuserectae, Pseudomonas fragi, Pseudomonas mendocina, Pseudomonas oleovorans, Pseudomonas ovalis, Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas putrefaciens, Pseudomonas riboflavina, Pseudomonas straminea, Pseudomonas syringae, Pseudomonas tabaci, Pseudomonas taetrolens, Pseudomonas vesicularis, Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodococcus erythropolis, Rhodococcus groberulus, Rhodococcus rhodochrous and Rhodococcus sp.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4)

The process according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein R1 of the sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound and the sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound is an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4)

The process according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein R1 of the sulfur-containing amino alcohol compound and the sulfur-containing α-amino acid compound is a methyl group.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein the lower aliphatic alcohol is a linear or a branched aliphatic alcohol having 1 to 5 carbon atoms.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1 wherein the lower aliphatic alcohol is at least one alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, tert-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 2,2-dimethyl-1-propanol, 1,2-butanediol and 1,3-butanediol.