Scleroglucan Engineering Service

Scleroglucan is a neutral, non-ionic exopolysaccharide highly valued as a Thickeners/EOR Enhanced Oil Recovery agent for its high viscosity, stability across extreme temperatures, and shear-thinning behavior. The traditional supply chain faces key limitations: Traditional fungal fermentation Sclerotium rolfsii is slow and prone to contamination, leading to extended batch times and high risk of culture loss. This hampers large-scale, cost-effective production.

CD Biosynsis offers a combined approach focusing on bioprocess optimization and genetic enhancement: Optimization: Optimize fungal fermentation conditions medium composition, pH to maximize polysaccharide yield and minimize side product formation. This immediately enhances current productivity. Crucially, we use Genetic Modification: Enhance the Glycosyltransferase activity involved in Scleroglucan synthesis. This biological modification increases the intrinsic rate of polymer formation, dramatically improving the overall production efficiency and titer.

Pain Points

The industrial production of Scleroglucan faces these primary challenges:

• Slow Fermentation Kinetics: The native fungal host Sclerotium rolfsii has a long growth cycle and slow polysaccharide production rate, resulting in high production costs and low annual throughput.
• Contamination Risk: Fungal fermentation is conducted over extended periods in complex media, making it highly susceptible to bacterial and yeast contamination, which can lead to complete batch loss.
• Suboptimal Yield and Quality: Fermentation conditions are often not precisely tailored, leading to suboptimal polysaccharide yield and the co-production of side products that complicate downstream purification.
• Rheological Limits: The high viscosity of the final broth limits oxygen transfer OTR and requires excessive mixing energy, similar to other exopolysaccharide fermentations.

A successful platform requires both acceleration of the biosynthesis rate and improved control over the fermentation process.

Solutions

CD Biosynsis utilizes genetic and bioprocess optimization to enhance Scleroglucan production:

Glycosyltransferase Enhancement

           

We enhance the expression and activity of key Glycosyltransferases involved in forming the Scleroglucan polymer backbone and side chains, directly increasing the synthesis rate.

Bioprocess Parameter Optimization

We perform comprehensive DoE Design of Experiments optimization on medium composition e.g. carbon source and pH control to maximize Scleroglucan yield and titer.

Contamination Tolerance

We use genetic or process engineering strategies e.g. non-conventional media or strain modification to enhance the Sclerotium rolfsii strain's resistance to common bacterial contaminants.

Precursor Flux Analysis

We use metabolic flux analysis to identify and relieve bottlenecks in the nucleotide sugar precursor supply for Glycosyltransferase activity, ensuring a continuous flow of building blocks.

This integrated optimization dramatically reduces fermentation time and increases the yield of high-quality Scleroglucan.

Advantages

Our Scleroglucan engineering service is dedicated to pursuing the following production goals:

Reduced Fermentation Time Icon

Enhanced Glycosyltransferase activity leads to a faster Scleroglucan production rate, lowering batch time and cost.

Maximize Yield and Titer Icon

Optimized medium and process parameters ensure the highest possible polysaccharide concentration from the fermentation.

Improved Process Reliability Icon

Reduced fermentation time and enhanced contamination tolerance reduce the risk of batch loss.

Consistent Product Quality Icon

Precise control over fermentation conditions minimizes side product formation for cleaner output.

Optimal Rheological Performance Icon

Process optimization ensures the final Scleroglucan has the desired high viscosity and stability required for EOR applications.

We deliver a faster, more reliable, and higher-yield platform for Scleroglucan production.

Process

Our Scleroglucan engineering service follows a rigorous, multi-stage research workflow:

• Glycosyltransferase Engineering: Identify and overexpress the rate-limiting Glycosyltransferases responsible for Scleroglucan backbone and side chain formation within the Sclerotium rolfsii strain.
• Precursor Flux Analysis and Enhancement: Use metabolic tools to analyze and enhance the flow of carbon from the central metabolism to the nucleotide sugar building blocks.
• Medium and Parameter Optimization: Screen and optimize the fermentation medium e.g. carbon and nitrogen sources and key process parameters pH, temperature to support high polysaccharide yield.
• Contamination Control Strategy: Implement process modifications or engineer the host strain to enhance tolerance to microbial competition and reduce the risk of batch failure.
• Rheological and Yield Validation: Quantify the final Scleroglucan yield and measure the rheological properties e.g. viscosity and shear stability to confirm product quality and consistency.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely feedback regarding yield and product quality attributes.

Explore the potential for a high-titer, reliable Scleroglucan supply. CD Biosynsis provides customized strain and process engineering solutions:

• Detailed Scleroglucan Titer and Viscosity Reports g/L, viscosity cP at defined shear rates.
• Consultation on fermentation scale-up and mixing strategies to mitigate viscosity effects.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on Glycosyltransferase expression levels and medium optimization screening.