Symbiotic fermentation of
The subject invention provides microbe-based products and efficient methods of producing them. In specific embodiments, methods are provided for symbiotic cultivation of Acinetobacter venetianus RAG1 and Bacillus subtilis B1, as well as growth by-products thereof. Methods are also provided for using the subject microbe-based products, for example, in microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR).
1. A method of co-cultivating a first microorganism and a second microorganism to produce cellular biomass and/or one or more growth by-products, the method comprising:
inoculating a fermentation system with the first and second microorganisms;
providing the fermentation system with a carbon source; and
incubating the first and second microorganisms under controlled conditions using the fermentation system until a desired amount of cellular biomass and/or a desired amount of the one or more growth by-products has been produced; and
harvesting the biomass and/or one or more growth by-products from the fermentation system,
wherein the first microorganism is Acinetobacter venetianus RAG1 and the second microorganism is Bacillus subtilis B1,
wherein the growth by-products are emulsan and surfactin, and
wherein the amounts of cellular biomass, emulsan and/or surfactin that are produced are greater than the amounts produced when the RAG1 and B1 are cultivated individually.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon source is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, isopropyl alcohol and ethanol.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carbon source is glucose.