Enhanced Production of Mycophenolic Acid from Penicillium brevicompactum via Optimized Fermentation Strategy

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is an occurring antibiotic produced through Penicillium brevicompactum. Its production was achieved by systematic process optimization under submerged fermentation. In shake flask, single-factor test experiments, Box–Behnken design (BBD) experiments, and fermentation strategy were determined, and the MPA yield was reached at 3002 ± 47, 3610 ± 51, and 4748 ± 59 µg/mL, respectively. For fermentation strategy, MPA production was 58.1% higher than that initial fermentation condition without optimization. Then, the optimized medium was further carried out in 5-L stirred fermenter for 180 h; MPA titer was increased from 3712 ± 65 µg/mL to 5786 ± 76 µg/mL, 55.9% higher than that of single-factor optimized medium. The results of this investigation will provide a vital step toward industrial-scale production of MPA.