S-Adenosyl-l-methionine production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae SAM 0801 using dl-methionine mixture: From laboratory to pilot scale

[Display omitted] •dl-Methionine was used as an inducer for S-adenosyl-l-methionine production.•The dl-methionine mixture was chiral separated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation.•Pilot scale S-adenosyl-l-methionine fermentation was performed in 300L bioreactor.•10.76g/L Of S-adenosyl-l-methionine was generated in 300L-scale fermentation.•The proportion of d-Met remained in broth was increased from 50 % to 76.89 %. This study sought to develop a cost-effective biological catalysis process for S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) production. During the process, a mixture of d-methionine (d-Met) and l-methionine (l-Met), namely dl-Met, was used as substrate to replace the conventional but expensive pure l-Met. The concentration of dl-Met in substrate was optimized. When 80g/L of dl-Met was added in a 5L-scale bioreactor, 13.74g/L of SAM was produced with an l-Met conversion rate of 32.15%. The fermentation process was then scaled up to meet the requirements of realistic industrial SAM production. In a 300L-scale fermentation process, 10.45g/L of SAM was achieved, with an l-Met conversion rate of 32.61%. Moreover, the proportion of d-Met remaining in broth increased from 50% at the beginning to 76.89% at the end of fermentation. The fermentation process is generally appropriate for commercial SAM production.