Accelerated glycerol fermentation in Escherichia coli using methanogenic formate consumption

Escherichia coli can ferment glycerol anaerobically only under very defined restrictive conditions. Hence, it was the aim of this study to overcome this limitation via a co-cultivation approach. Anaerobic glycerol fermentation by a pure E. coli culture was compared to a co-culture that also contained the formate-oxidizing methanogen Methanobacterium formicicum. Co-cultivation of the two strains led to a more than 11-fold increased glycerol consumption. Furthermore, it supported a constantly neutral pH and a shift from ethanol to succinate production. Moreover, M. formicicum was analyzed for its ability to grow on different standard media and a surprising versatility could be demonstrated.