Fatty acid bioconversions by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PR3

The bioconversions of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and ricinoleic acid by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PR3 were investigated. The conversion of oleic acid to 7,10‐dihydroxy‐8(E)‐octadecenoic acid (DOD) was improved to better than 80% yields by modifying the culture medium and reaction parameters. The microbial cultures were stable and retained the same level of DOD production capacity for up to 6 mon as examined herewith. Strain PR3 did not bioconvert linoleic acid. However, strain PR3 converted ricinoleic acid to a novel compound, 7,10,12‐trihydroxy‐8(E)‐octadecenoic acid (TOD), with a yield of about 35%. The product was further metabolized by strain PR3. TOD was purified by thin‐layer chromatography, and its structure was determined by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. This is the first report on the production of 7,10,12‐trihydroxy unsaturated fatty acid by microbial transformation.