The primary processing problem in recombinant Escherichia coil fermentation is the production of acetic acid, which can inhibit both cell growth and recombinant protein production. The ability of E. con to assimilate acetate permits it to solve this problem in a rather creative manner. In this study, the effects of acetic acid assimilation through a glucose starvation period at different cell growth phases were investigated in fed-batch cultures of recombinant E. coli. Experimental results showed that the human-like collagen (HLC) production could be improved by introducing glucose starvation at the end of batch culture and pre-induction phase, while the glucose starvation at the induction phase resulted in a poor HLC productivity. The acetic acid assimilation was observed during all the glucose starvation periods. In addition, a systematic study for evaluating the effects of acetic acid was carried out by adding acetate into culture media at different cell growth phases and then employing a glucose starvation after several hours. It was found that obvious acetate inhibition on cell growth occurred in the batch culture phases while its inhibitory effect on HLC expression occurred only in the post-induction phase. The longer the elevated acetic acid concentration maintained, the stronger the inhibitory effects were. These results are of significance for optimizing and scaling-up fermentation processes. (C) 2009, The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.