(531a) Genome-Scale Model and Pathway Analysis for Optimization of Butyric Acid Fermentation by Clostridium Tyrobutyricum

Understanding the metabolic behavior of an organism or a living cell is essential for fermentation process optimization. Predictions of metabolic behavior and flux distribution in batch cultures enable better regulation of fermentation in terms of biomass yield and productivity. Flux balance analysis (FBA) is a constraint-based modeling approach using linear programming to study cellular metabolism. It can not only develop models based on annotated genomic information, but also predict or validate current knowledge of specific microorganism’s metabolic network. In this study, FBA was performed using Pathway Tool for systematic analysis of butyric acid fermentation by Clostridium tyrobutyricum. A comprehensive genome-scale model was developed for this organism, and flux analysis was then performed to evaluate the constraint factors of fermentation, optimize the process, and predict mutant strain metabolic behavior.  The results from this analysis will be presented in this paper.