PURPOSE: To epimize or to racemize an amino acid in a stable form, by bringing a culture material of a specific strain or a culture mold separated from the culture material or a treated material of the culture mold into contact with a sulfur- or selenium-containing amino acid.
CONSTITUTION: A strain (e.g., Pseudomonas putida IFO12996) belonging to the genus Pseudomonas or a strain (e.g., Aeromonas punctata subspecies caciae MT10243) is cultivated in a medium consisting of meat essence, peptone, NaCl, etc, aerobically at 20W50°C at neutral or slightly alkali pH for 1W3days, a culture material or a culture mold obtained by centrifuging the culture material is ground, subjected to self digestion, and treated with ultrasonic wave, to give the treated material (B) of mold. Then, (A) a sulfur-containing amino acid [e.g., (homo)cystine] or a selenium-containing amino acid [e.g., seleno(homo)cystine] is dissolved or suspended in water, brought into contact with one of the component B at 20W50°Cat 5W10pH, epimized or racemized.
TANAKA HIDEHIKO
NAKAMURA TAKESHI
Next Patent: PRODUCTION OF L-PHENYLALANINE