Isolation and characterization of a stable l-arginine producer from continuous culture broth of Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum

In order to produce l-arginine efficiently, continuous culture was attempted using an l-arginine producing strain of Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum, MC-13. l-Arginine production by strain MC-13 decreased after shifting from fed-batch culture to continuous culture because various strains with reduced or no l-arginine productivity, including l-arginine auxotrophs, appeared in addition to the original l-arginine producer. Strain SC-190, isolated from the continuous culture broth of strain MC-13, produced l-arginine on cultivation in a stable fashion for more than 250 h. It is suggested that strain SC-190 acquired a lower susceptibility to the inhibition of growth and l-arginine production by l-arginine than the parental strain MC-13 due to this stabilization.