Production of cis-unsaturated hydrocarbons by a strain of Rhodococcus in repeated batch culture with a phase-inversion, hollow-fiber system

A mutant strain of Rhodococcus was found to cis -desaturate a variety of hydrocarbons and acyl fatty acids at central positions of the chains. Application of phase inversion of the reaction medium, from an oil-water to a water-oil emulsion, to the desaturation reaction contributed to an improvement in the productivity of repeated batch operations with a hydrophobic hollow fiber.