Integrated bioprocess development for cyanophycin production as a corrosion-inhibiting biomaterial

Integrated bioprocess development for cyanophycin production as a corrosion-inhibiting biomaterial | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Integrated bioprocess development for cyanophycin production as a corrosion-inhibiting biomaterial Saroj Raj Kafle, Anirudh Mukunth, Arum Han, Arul Jayaraman, Aristos Aristidou This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9488016/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Cyanophycin (CGP), also known as multi-L-arginyl-polycyanophycin, is a biodegradable biopolymer composed of aspartic acid and arginine. Its versatile functional properties make it promising for applications in food, medicine, cosmetics, agriculture, and metal corrosion prevention. The objective of this study was to develop and optimize a bioprocess for the cost-effective production of cyanophycin (CGP) using a genetically engineered Escherichia coli strain previously constructed for CGP overproduction from renewable feedstocks. Specifically, this work aimed to establish a process capable of achieving high production rates, titers, and yields while eliminating the need for costly inducers such as IPTG. Initial shake-flask experiments revealed that lactose induction resulted in higher CGP titers and cell densities compared to IPTG. To further enhance production, various micronutrient supplements were evaluated. Notably, the addition of 10 g/L ribose and 1.5 mM phosphate significantly increased CGP titers to 24 g/L. Building on these findings, a high-cell-density fed-batch strategy using cost-effective feedstocks was developed, resulting in a 1.54-fold increase in production. In addition, a simplified downstream process for CGP recovery and purification was established. The produced CGP was evaluated in corrosion experiments under acidic conditions and demonstrated excellent inhibition performance by significantly reducing corrosion rates compared to control samples. Cyanophycin (CGP) high cell density Escherichia coli Corrosion inhibition Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 19 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 18 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 17 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 27 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 27 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 21 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9488016","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":633723323,"identity":"a182459e-5cca-4155-8c57-8f9b0648cd99","order_by":0,"name":"Saroj Raj Kafle","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Texas A\u0026M University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saroj","middleName":"Raj","lastName":"Kafle","suffix":""},{"id":633723325,"identity":"eb345af8-8987-407d-884e-28ffd49c1b9f","order_by":1,"name":"Anirudh Mukunth","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Texas A\u0026M University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anirudh","middleName":"","lastName":"Mukunth","suffix":""},{"id":633723328,"identity":"5674ad38-be7c-4fc7-9adb-25a4cb0527fa","order_by":2,"name":"Arum Han","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Texas A\u0026M University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arum","middleName":"","lastName":"Han","suffix":""},{"id":633723329,"identity":"ec6ef1b5-1b7f-4f05-8218-d9450dad20fc","order_by":3,"name":"Arul Jayaraman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Texas A\u0026M University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arul","middleName":"","lastName":"Jayaraman","suffix":""},{"id":633723330,"identity":"a1ff71ae-6a91-4875-8d10-79261f2fbc7f","order_by":4,"name":"Aristos Aristidou","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAzklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgYGBgNmBgb2BqjAAWK0HABp4TlMtBawIqAWiWQitfDPPtz8+UOBtZzBzfcHP91sY5Dju5GAX4vEucQ2iQMG6cYGt5OZpXPbGIwlCWlhOMPYBvTL4cQNt5MZQFoSNxDSIn+GsfkDWMvNw8y/gVrqCWoxOMPYIAHWcoOZDWRLggEhLYZAh0mcAfpF8kyymXXOOQnDmWce4Ncid4b98YeKP9ZyfMcPPr6dU2Yjz3ecgC3oQII05aNgFIyCUTAKsAMA6iVIblWaBvgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Texas A\u0026M University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aristos","middleName":"","lastName":"Aristidou","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-21 19:08:11","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9488016/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9488016/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108805934,"identity":"7c2d8553-70b4-4c0e-81ee-da33c5eaf427","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-08 15:27:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":772879,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CGPBioprocessBiosystem.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9488016/v1_covered_47f3ee9b-b5b7-4eb3-ad95-faa70aefaf24.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Integrated bioprocess development for cyanophycin production as a corrosion-inhibiting biomaterial","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bioprocess-and-biosystems-engineering","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering](https://www.springer.com/journal/449)","snPcode":"449","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/449/3","title":"Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Cyanophycin (CGP), high cell density, Escherichia coli, Corrosion inhibition","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9488016/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9488016/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCyanophycin (CGP), also known as multi-L-arginyl-polycyanophycin, is a biodegradable biopolymer composed of aspartic acid and arginine. 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