Glutamic acid is an amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can synthesize enough for its use. Glutamic acid is also the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system. In the body, it turns into glutamate, which helps nerve cells in the brain send and receive information from other cells. It may be involved in learning and memory. Glutamic acid is also known as glutamate. It is a hydrophilic amino acid that is negatively charged due to the presence of a carboxylic acid group at the end of its side chain. It is a dicarboxylic amino acid qualified as a diacid because it has two carboxylic acid groups and an amino group. Glutamic acid is used in protein biosynthesis in the human body and helps in: Metabolism, Brain function, Cardiac function.

1. Presented by:- Lokesh Patil
B Pharm, 5th sem, 3rd year
Production of
Glutamic Acid

2. Glutamic acid is an amino acid used to
form proteins. In the body, it turns
into glutamate. This is a chemical that
helps nerve cells in the brain send and
receive information from other cells. It
may be involved in learning and
memory.
Glutamic Acid

3. ABOUT
Glutamic Acid
01

4. The commercial production of
glutamic acid by microbial
fermentation offers 90% of the
world’s total demand, and the
remaining 10% is provided by
chemical methods. For actual
fermentation, microbial strains
are grown in fermenters with
volume of 500m3.
Summarizing
production of
Glutamic acid

5. Glutamic Acid
• L- Glutamic acid was the first amino acid to be
produced by microorganism, Corynebacterium
glutamicum
• Chemically glutamic acid is 2 amino pentandioic
acid
• Used in synthesis of Monosodium glutamate

6. Steps of production
1. Selection of Microorganisms
2. Formulation of medium
3. Production process
4. Recovery and purification

7. • Arthrobacter globiformis
• Arthrobacter aminofaciens
• Mycobacterium flavum
• Brevibacterium divericartum
• Brevibacterium alanicum
• Corynebacterium glutamicum
• Corynebacterium lilum
1. Selection of Microorganisms
Corynebacterium
species
Brevibacterium
species
Mycobacterium
species
Arthrobacter
species

8. 1. Selection of microorganisms
• Improved strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum which can give high yield and
tolerate high concentrations of biotin and lysozyme
• A suitable strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum from stock culture is
inoculated in a sterilized medium in a shake flask and incubated at 350C for 16
hours
• Inoculum culture is grown in shake flasks and transferred to the seed tank
(1000-2000 L)
• After suitable growth the inoculum is transferred to the second seen tank
(10,000- 20,000 L) which serves as inoculum for the production tank (50,000-
500,000 L)

9. 2. Formulation of medium
• Carbon sources:- such as glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltose, sugar beet
molasses and sugarcane molasses and starch hydrolysates from corn or
cassava.
• Nitrogen sources:- Inorganic compounds such as ammonia or ammonium
sulfate
• Phosphates, vitamins and other necessary supplements are usually
provided with corn steep liquor
• Growth factor:- Biotin ( concentration influenced by carbon sources)

10. 2. Formulation of medium

11. 2. Formulation of medium
• Glutamic acid is the intracellular component hence, production and extraction
are dependent upon cell permeability of acid producing bacteria.
• Increased permeability to the acid can be achieved in the following ways.
 Ensuring biotin deficiency in the medium
 Treatment with fatty acid derivatives
 Ensuring oleic acid deficiency in mutants requiring oleic acid
 Addition of penicillin during growth of glutamic acid bacteria
 Use of oleic acid auxotrophs
 Use of glycerol auxotrophs
 Addition of surfactants

12. 2. Formulation of medium
• Cells treated in one of the first three ways have cell membranes in which the
saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio is abnormal, therefore the
permeability barrier is destroyed and glutamic acid accumulates in the
medium.
• Glutamic acid production is greatest when biotin is sub-optimal limiting
 When biotin is optimal (0.5mg per gram of dry cells) growth is luxuriant and
lactic acid is excreted with higher amounts of glutamic acid production falls
• The prepared culture medium is sterilized in a fermenter by steam

13. 3. Production process
• When the temperature of the medium cools down to 300C, the microorganism
is added to the fermenter in a proper inoculum state.
• Done in production tank (50,000- 500,000 L)
• By Batch or Fed- Batch method:- Fed batch preferrable
• The microorganism is incubated for 36-48 hours with conditions as follows
 pH:- 7-8
 Temperature:- 30-350C
 Oxygen concentration should be optimum for the production of acid
 High concentration Inhibits the growth of organisms
 Low concentration Produce lactic acid and succinic acid

14. 4. Recovery and Purification
• After fermentation, the cells are filtered using a rotary vacuum filter which can
be improved by using filter aids (kieselguhr which are based on the
diatomaceous earth)
• The extraction done by chromatographic method or the concentration-
crystallization method
 Crystallization:-
 By lowering the temperature
 Precipitation with salts like ammonium and calcium salts and with metals like
zinc

15. 4. Recovery and Purification
• Ion exchange Resin
• Used for the extraction and purification of the amino acids
• The adsorption of amino acids by ion exchange resins is strongly affected by
the pH of the solution and by the presence of contaminant ions.
• There are 2 types of ion exchange resins; cation exchange resins and anion
exchange resins
 Cation exchange resins bind +vely charged amino acids
 Anion exchange resins bind negatively charged amino acids
• Anion exchange resins are generally lower in their exchange capacity and
durability than cation exchange resins and are seldom used for industrial
separation

16. Production Flow Chart

17. Glutamic acid Uses
1. Important in the brain metabolism:- Used in treating various neuropathic
diseases
2. Monosodium glutamate has been used as flavour enhancing agent both by the
food industry and the general public
3. Poly glutamic acid (PGA):- Naturally occurring anionic polymer that is
biodegradable, edible and non-toxic towards the human environment.
4. Industrial applications including thickener, bitterness relieving agent, and
cytoprotectant.
5. Curable biological adhesive
6. Heavy metal absorbers
7. Cosmetics:- L-glutamic acid is widely used
 As a hair restorer in treatment of hair loss
 As wrinkle-preventing agent