Efficient production of coenzyme Q(10) from acid hydrolysate of sweet sorghum juice by Rhodobacter sphaeroides

In order to achieve efficient bioconversion of biomass-derived sugars, acid hydrolysate of sweet sorghum juice (SSJAH) containing abundant fermentable sugars was used for coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) fermentation by Rhodobacter sphaeroides CQ-09-1. The synthesis of CoQ(10) was facilitated when the initial concentration of total sugar was 80.00 g L(−1). And the highest CoQ(10) titer was obtained when the pH and temperature were maintained at 7.00 and 30.00 °C, respectively. Moreover, corn steep powder (CSP) was proved to be an efficient nitrogen & salt supplement to SSJAH. Under the optimized conditions, the titer of CoQ(10) reached 141.95 mg L(−1) in a fed-batch fermentation. The CoQ(10) titer reported was about two times higher than that obtained in the previous study using wild strains. This process introduces a potential way to produce CoQ(10) using the concept of biorefinery, while making full use of sweet sorghum juice (SSJ).