DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The microorganism preferably employed in carrying out the method of the present invention will be Pseudomonas aeruginosa, for example, ATCC #15523 or will be of the genus Protaminobacter, and preferably of the strain Protaminobacter alboflavus, for example, ATCC #8458.
Other strains of the genus Protaminobacter which may be employed herein include Protaminobacter candidus, Protaminobacter ruber or Protaminobacter thiaminophagus.
Substrates which may be employed herein which will be converted to L-(+)-.
beta.
-hydroxyisobutyric acid by the above microorganisms include, but are not limited to, isobutyric acid, methacrylic acid, the methyl ester and/or ethyl ester of each of isobutyric acid and/or methacrylic acids, isobutyryl chloride, isobutyl alcohol, one or more of its esters, such as isobutyl acetate, isobutyl formate, isobutyl isobutyrate or isobutyl methacrylate, isobutyl amine, isobutyl aldehyde, isobutyl amide or mixtures of any two or more thereof.
As indicated, for subjecting the substrate to the action of the microorganism, essentially two techniques are available.
In the preferred method of the invention, the method is carried out in two steps, that is, cultivation of the microorganism first and then subjection of the substrate to the action of the microorganism.
The first step of the two-step process can be carried out by cultivating the microorganism in an aqueous nutrient medium and recovering the cells.
The second step of the two-step process can be carried out by adding the substrate to a suspension of the recovered cells or to immobilized cells in suitable aqueous buffer or medium followed by incubating the resulting mixture aerobically for all or part of the reaction time at a pH from about 6 to about 9.
5, and preferably from about 7 to about 8.
5, and at a temperature of from about 20.
degree.
to about 40.
degree.
C.
for about 12 to about 120 hours and preferably from about 48 to about 96 hours.
Since enzymes of microorganisms are involved in the reaction of the process of the present invention, the separated cells can also be subjected to various treatments, such as drying and homogenization, etc
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Molecular Biology 
