Enhanced β-lactam antibiotic production by coimmobilization of fungus and alga

It was determined thatCephalosporium acremonium, an oxygenconsuming fungus, had a symbiotic relationship withChlorella pyrenoidosa, an oxygen-generating alga. The fungus and the alga were coimmobilized by entrapment in calcium alginate beads. The production rate of β-lactam antibiotics was evaluated at various ratios of the fungus and the alga cells in the free and immobilized states. When the ratio of fungus to alga was one to eight in free mixed culture, the production rate of β-lactam antibiotics was 240% of the rate in the presence of fungus alone in the free state. In coimmobilized cell system, the increased amount was 370% in comparison with immobilized fungus alone.