Metabolic flux analysis on arachidonic acid fermentation

Analysis of flux distributions in metabolic networks has become an important approach for understanding the fermentation characteristics of the process. A model of metabolic flux analysis of arachidonic acid (AA) synthesis in Mortierella alpina ME-1 was established and carbon flux distributions were estimated in different fermentation phases with different concentrations of N-source. During exponential, decelerating and stationary phase, carbon fluxes to AA are 3.28%, 8.80%, 6.97%, respectively, with sufficient N-source broth based on the flux of glucose uptake, and those are increased to 3.95%, 19.21% and 39.29%, respectively, by regulating the shifts of carbon fluxes via fermentation with limited N-source broth and adding 0.05% NaNO₃ at 96 h. Eventually AA yield increased from 1.3 g·L^-1 to 3.5 g·L^-1. These results suggest a way to improve AA fermentation, that is, fermentation with limited N-source broth and adding low concentration N-source during stationary phase.