Abstract: A synergistic thickening composition for use in foods is prepared by forming a mixture of a dried fermented whey product produced with Xanthomonas campestris ATCC 31923 and a dried fermented whey product produced with Leuconostoc mesenteroides ATCC 14935.

Abstract: Acetic acid has been prepared by a fermentation process using Clostridium thermoaceticum in a varied form obtained by repeated fermentations under anaerobic conditions and low redox potentials at successively more acidic pH's than the original organism.

Abstract: A process for preparing hydroxylated biphenyl compounds by enzymatically biotransforming the biphenyl compound with a microorganism.

Abstract: A two phase fermentation system containing an aqueous nutrient medium plus a high concentration of organic solvent enables a suspension of microorganisms to convert a hydrocarbon substrate to product with a higher conversion frequency than a conventional aqueous phase fermentation. Further, the product is simultaneously extracted and concentrated in the organic phase, aiding in product recovery.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel process for the treatment of waste water from municipal and industrial sources by contacting the waste water with an activated sludge at conditions at which biological oxidation takes place. In this process various water-insoluble inorganic oxides selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, and silica-alumina are combined with the sludge whereby increased rates of biological oxidation are obtained and the sludge shows increased settleability. In a most preferred embodiment of this method, the water-insoluble inorganic oxide is a spent cracking catalyst, that is, a zeolite which has been used in fluid cracking of hydrocarbon feeds and thus contains vanadium, iron, nickel, copper, and/or carbon. This catalyst may be recovered from aqueous scrubber solutions which are utilized to reduce stack losses in fluidized cracking processes and which, at present, present a solids waste disposal problem.