Patent ID: 7101702

Claim:
A culture medium which comprises a complex-forming component and a microorganism suitable for the production of epothilones wherein the complex-forming component is one or more cyclodextrins, the cyclodextrins being selected from a) α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, γ-cyclodextrin, δ-cyclo-dextrin, ε-cyclodextrin, ζ-cyclodextrin, η-cyclodextrin and θ-cyclodextrin; or b) a cyclodextrin derivative selected from derivatives of (1) a cyclodextrin in which one or more up to all of the hydroxy groups are etherified to an alkyl ether; an aryl-hydroxyalkyl ether; a hydroxyalkyl ether; a carboxyalkyl ether; a derivatised carboxy lower alkyl ether in which the derivatised carboxy is aminocarbonyl, mono- or di-lower alkylaminocarbonyl, morpholino-, piperidino-, pyrrolidino- or piperazino-carbonyl, or alkyloxycarbonyl; a sulfoalkyl ether; (2) a cyclodextrin in which one or more OH groups are etherified with a radical of formula —O-[alk-O—] n —H wherein alk is alkyl and n is a whole number from and including 2 up to and including 12; (3) a cyclodextrin in which one or more OH groups are etherified with a radical of formula wherein R′ is hydrogen, hydroxy, —O-(alk-O—O 2 —H, alk in all cases is alkyl; m, n, p, q and z are a whole number from 1 to 12; and Y is OR 1 or NR 2 R 3 , wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 , independently of one another, are hydrogen or lower alkyl, or R 2 and R 3 , combined with the binding nitrogen signify morpholino, piperidino, pyrrolidino or piperazino; or (4) a branched cyclodextrin in which etherifications or acetals exist with other sugar molecules, and which are selected from glucosyl, diglucosyl-(G 2 β-cyclodextrin), maltosyl- and dimaltosyl-cyclodextrin, or N-acetylglucosaminyl-, glucosaminyl-, N-acetylgalactosaminyl- and galactosaminyl-cyclodextrin; and a lower alkanoyl-; or e) mixtures of two or more of the said cyclodextrins and/or cyclodextrin derivatives, and wherein the prefix “lower” indicates that the radical contains up to a maximum of 7 carbon atoms.