Nisin production in a chitin-including continuous fermentation system with Lactococcus lactis displaying a cell wall chitin-binding domain.

The limiting factors in the continuous production of nisin are high amount of biomass loss and low dilution rate application. In this study, a chitin-including continuous nisin fermentation system (CICON-FER) was constructed for high volumetric nisin production using nisin producer L. lactis displaying cell wall chitin-binding domain (ChBD) together with chitin in the reactor. In this respect, the highest binding conditions of relevant L. lactis cells to chitin were determined. Then the chitin flakes carrying nisin-producing L. lactis cells were used within the CICON-FER system at different dilution rates (0.1-0.9 h⁻¹) and initial glucose concentrations (20-60 g l⁻¹). The results revealed that the pH 7 conditions and the use of 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer with 0.1 % Tween 20 and Triton X-100 significantly increased the binding capacity of ChBD displaying L. lactis cells to chitin. The constructed CICON-FER system maintained the presence of the ChBD surface displaying L. lactis cells in the reactor system until 0.9 h⁻¹ dilution rate that resulted in a considerably high level of volumetric nisin production and productivity (10,500 IU ml⁻¹ and 9,450 IU ml⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively) with the combination of a 0.9-h⁻¹ dilution rate and a 40-g l⁻¹ initial glucose concentration. In conclusion, an innovative nisin fermentation system that yielded the highest nisin production thus far and that was feasible for industrial application was created.