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. 1968 Jul;16(7):1011–1014. doi: 10.1128/am.16.7.1011-1014.1968

Formation of Desacetylcephalosporin C in Cephalosporin C Fermentation

F M Huber 1, R H Baltz 1, P G Caltrider 1
PMCID: PMC547579  PMID: 5690989

Abstract

The origin of desacetylcephalosporin C in cephalosporin C fermentation broths was investigated. Esterase activity was detected in cell-free extracts of Cephalosporium acremonium, but these extracts failed to deesterify cephalosporin C. When cephalosporin C was added to sterile and inoculated fermentation media, the antibiotic decayed at nearly identical rates. The formation of desacetylcephalosporin C during the fermentation was measured by quantitative chromatography and by the incorporation of valine-1-14C into the molecule. The rate constants obtained from the results of these experiments were equivalent to those for the decay of cephalosporin C in sterile and inoculated media. The data demonstrate that desacetylcephalosporin C is produced by nonenzymatic hydrolysis of cephalosporin C.

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Selected References

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