The auxiliary substrate concept — an approach for overcoming limits of microbial performances
Authors: Babel W. , Brinkmann U. , Müller R. H. 
Published: December 2004

In biotechnological processes, fundamental performances of microorganisms are used. The economy of these processes is essentially determined by the efficiency, velocity (productivity) and quality of the products. Therefore it is a permanent task and challenge for basic and biotechnological research to seek out measures for improving the actually attained parameters. The auxiliary substrate concept supplics an approach. It is based on the fact that chemo‐organo‐heterotrophic substrates differ in the carbon: energy ratio, thus, growth yield is limited in energy and/or reducing power. It says that, by simultaneous utilization of physiologically similar substrates (mixed substrates), the growth yield increases. The substrates are to combine in such a way that with their simultaneous utilization a minimum of carbon is dissimilated merely for the purpose of the generation of biologically useful energy and/or reducing power. Since all chemo‐organo‐heterotrophic substrates are more or less energy‐deficient, an increase in growth efficiency can be expected if the individual substrates of the mixture are assimilated more efficiently than the respective substrates alone. This may result, for instance, from an immediate assimilation of a substrate (according to the “manner of finished part construction”).

An increased growth rate is rather the rule than the exception in mixed substrate utilization.

In product syntheses the substrates are, depending on the concrete product and metabolic pathway, either energy‐excess or energy‐excess or energy‐deficient. or, in other words, the processes are energy‐generating or energy‐consuming, respectively. If this is responsible for discrepancies between the possible yields determined by the carbon metabolism and the experimentally obtained yields, the discrepancies should be able to be decreased and the yields increased by mixing substrates. The substrates are to choose and combine so that, due to simultaneous utilization, the product formation process becomes energy neutral.

As a rule, the enhanced efficiency is accompanied by an increased velocity. This does not only apply to syntheses, but also to degradation (and detoxification) reactions. Even supposedly inert compounds or persistent substances can be activated by simultaneous (co‐)metabolization of another (an auxiliary substrate, victim substrate or co‐substrate) and converted at a considerable rate. It is of interest for syntheses of products but in particular for degradation and decontamination of harmful and waste products in the environment that the residual concentrations of the substrates are smaller than those achieved if the compounds of a mixture are metabolized separately.

The auxiliary substrate concept has proven to be fruitful, both for theoretical and practical questions. It was practically already being used before it was formulated (mixed substrate utilization, cometabolism). However, an abundance of regulatory and energetic aspects are waiting to be investigated in more detail.