D-Glutamate was produced from L-glutamate by two successive cellular reactions with a glutamate racemase produced by Escherichia coli TM93 harboring a plasmid containing a glutamate racemase gene from Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 8287 and a glutamate decarboxylase produced by E. coli ATCC 11246. L-Glutamate was first racemized to DL-glutamate at pH 8.5 and L-glutamate was then decarboxylated at pH 4.2. Starting from 100 g/l of L-glutamate, 50 g/l of D-glutamate remained after 15 h reaction.