Biotechnological [S,S]-EDDS Production

The complexing agent ethylenediamine-disuccinate (EDDS) is an ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (EDTA) isomer. EDTA is widely used in paper, textile, and laundry industry but also as cosmetic, food, and medical additive. Due to its poor degradability, EDTA became an environmental hazard. EDDS has similar complex-forming properties as EDTA. In contrast to EDTA, the isomer [S,S]-EDDS is biode-gradable. Therefore, a chemical process to produce [S,S]-EDDS had already been established. Howev-er, the chemical synthesis is not only expensive but also complicated.
A biotechnological large scale production of [S,S]-EDDS was not possible until now, because already 2 μM zinc, a concentration occurring ubiquitously in standard media, inhibits the synthesis of [S,S]-EDDS. Here we present a process to synthesize [S,S]-EDDS biotechnologically using an optimized Amycolatopsis japonicum strain, that produces [S,S]-EDDS in the presence of zinc and in complex media (see Figure 1).

Further information: PDF

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Phone: +49 (7071) 29-72639

Contact
Dr. Rolf Hecker

As Germany's association of technology- and patenttransfer agencies TechnologieAllianz e.V. is offering businesses access to the entire range of innovative research results of almost all German universities and numerous non-university research institutions. More than 2000 technology offers of 14 branches are beeing made accessable to businesses in order to assure your advance on the market. At www.technologieallianz.de a free, fast and non-bureaucratic access to all further offers of the German research landscape is offered to our members aiming to sucessfully transfer technologies.