Processes for the production of amidase
AssigneeCiba Specialty Chemicals Water Treatment Limited
InventorsYvonne Christine Armitage, Jonathan Hughes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An amidase or nitrilase is made by continuous culture under carbon limitation using a carbon source which includes, respectively, either (a) an amide or amide precursor or (b) a nitrile or nitrile precursor. Novel enzymes have particular stability. A novel microorganism is Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 40756 and is capable of producing a particularly stable amidase. The novel amidase, and the amidase made by the defined process, are effective for converting (meth)acrylamide to ammonium (meth)acrylate, for instance in or after the polymerisation of the acrylamide.
Claims9
A process for producing amidase or nitrilase enzyme comprising
- a) cultivating a microorganism capable of producing the enzyme in continuous culture in a growth medium comprising a carbon source wherein the culture is conducted under carbon limitation and wherein when an amidase enzyme is being produced the carbon source includes an amide or amide precursor and when a nitrilase enzyme is being produced the carbon source includes a nitrile or nitrile precursor, wherein the microorganism is Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain NCIMB 40756 or a mutant thereof having the ability to produce an amidase;
- and
- b) recovering the resulting enzyme.
A method of converting an amide to the corresponding acid or acid salt comprising
- a) introducing an amidase enzyme into an environment containing an amide wherein the amidase
- (1) has been produced by a process comprising cultivating a microorganism capable of producing the enzyme in continuous culture in a growth medium comprising a carbon source wherein the culture is conducted under carbon limitation and wherein the carbon source includes an amide or amide precursor or
- (2) is an amidase having a half-life t1/2 of 80 to 300 days in an aqueous environment at pH7 in a sequential fed batch process in which the acrylamide concentration is 27 g/l to 30 g/l and the ammonium acrylate concentration rises from 0 to 150 g/l in each batch or
- (3) is introduced by means of a microorganism which is Rhodococcus rhodochrous strain NCIMB 40756 and
- b) recovering the corresponding acid or acid salt of said amide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.