Poly- l -lysine Produced by Streptomyces. Part II. Taxonomy and Fermentation Studies

As a result of screening for a Dragendorff-positive substance of microbial origin, l-lysine homopolymer (25 ~ 30 residues) with alpha and epsilon linkages was obtained from the culture filtrate of an actinomycete identified as Streptomyces albulus. Various cultural conditions for the favorable production of the lysine polymer were studied. The decline of pH during the fermentation process was an essential condition for the accumulation of lysine polymer. The addition of proline had a considerable effect.