Engineering aspects of solid state fermentation

Lovastatin-enriched rice straw enhances biomass quality and suppresses ruminal methanogenesis

The primary objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that solid state fermentation (SSF) of agro-biomass (using rice straw as model); besides, breaking down its lignocellulose content to improve its nutritive values also produces lovastatin which could be used to suppress methanogenesis in the rumen ecosystem. Fermented rice straw (FRS) containing lovastatin after fermentation with Aspergillus terreus was used as substrate for growth study of rumen microorganisms using in vitro gas production method. In the first experiment, the extract from the FRS (FRSE) which contained lovastatin was evaluated for its efficacy for reduction in methane (CH4) production, microbial population, and activity in the rumen fluid. FRSE reduced total gas and CH4 productions (P < 0.01). It also reduced (P < 0.01) total methanogens population and increased the cellulolytic bacteria including Ruminococcus albus, Fibrobacter succinogenes (P < 0.01), and Ruminococcus flavefaciens (P < 0.05). Similarly, FRS reduced total gas and CH4 productions, methanogens population, but increased in vitro dry mater digestibility compared to the non-fermented rice straw. Lovastatin in the FRSE and the FRS significantly increased the expression of HMG-CoA reductase gene that produces HMG-CoA reductase, a key enzyme for cell membrane production in methanogenic Archaea.

Pythium irregulare fermentation to produce arachidonic acid (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) using soybean processing co-products as substrates

Arachidonic acid (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were produced by Pythium irregulare fungus using soybean cotyledon fiber and soy skim, two co-products from soybean aqueous processing, as substrates in different fermentation systems. Parameters such as moisture content, substrate glucose addition, incubation time, and vegetable oil supplementation were found to be important in solid-state fermentation (SSF) of soybean fiber, which is to be used as animal feed with enriched long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Soybean fiber with 8 % (dwb) glucose supplementation for a 7-day SSF produced 1.3 mg of ARA and 1.6 mg of EPA in 1 g of dried substrate. When soy skim was used as substrate for submerged fermentation, total ARA yield of 125.7 mg/L and EPA yield of 92.4 mg/L were achieved with the supplementation of 7 % (w/v) soybean oil. This study demonstrates that the values of soybean fiber and soy skim co-products could be enhanced through the long-chain PUFA production by fermentation.

Biotechnological Potential of Agro Residues for Economical Production of Thermoalkali-Stable Pectinase by Bacillus pumilus dcsr1 by Solid-State Fermentation and Its Efficacy in the Treatment of Ramie Fibres

The production of a thermostable and highly alkaline pectinase by Bacillus pumilus dcsr1 was optimized in solid-state fermentation (SSF) and the impact of various treatments (chemical, enzymatic, and in combination) on the quality of ramie fibres was investigated. Maximum enzyme titer (348.0 ± 11.8 Ug(-1) DBB) in SSF was attained, when a mixture of agro-residues (sesame oilseed cake, wheat bran, and citrus pectin, 1 : 1 : 0.01) was moistened with mineral salt solution (a(w) 0.92, pH 9.0) at a substrate-to-moistening agent ratio of 1 : 2.5 and inoculated with 25% of 24 h old inoculum, in 144 h at 40°C. Parametric optimization in SSF resulted in 1.7-fold enhancement in the enzyme production as compared to that recorded in unoptimized conditions. A 14.2-fold higher enzyme production was attained in SSF as compared to that in submerged fermentation (SmF). The treatment with the enzyme significantly improved tensile strength and Young's modulus, reduction in brittleness, redness and yellowness, and increase in the strength and brightness of ramie fibres.

Solid-state fermentation of soybean and corn processing coproducts for potential feed improvement

Two agro-industrial coproducts, soybean cotyledon fiber and distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), were used as substrates to evaluate the effect of coculturing three different fungi, Aspergillus oryzae, Trichoderma reesei, and Phanerochaete chrysosporium, on enzyme production by solid-state fermentation (SSF). When soybean fiber was used as the substrate, a maximum xylanase activity of 757.4 IU/g and a cellulase activity of 3.2 IU/g were achieved with the inoculation and incubation of T. reesei and P. chrysosporium for 36 h, followed by A. oryzae for an additional 108 h. This inoculation scheme also resulted in the highest xylanase activity of 399.2 IU/g compared to other fungi combinations in the SSF of DDGS. A large-scale SSF by this fungus combination produced fermented products that had xylanase and cellulase activities of 35.9-57.0 and 0.4-1.2 IU/g, respectively. These products also had 3.5-15.1% lower fiber and 1.3-4.2% higher protein contents, suggesting a potential feed quality improvement.

Production and Optimization of Cellulase Enzyme Using Aspergillus niger USM AI 1 and Comparison with Trichoderma reesei via Solid State Fermentation System

Novel design solid state bioreactor, FERMSOSTAT, had been evaluated in cellulase production studies using local isolate Aspergillus niger USM AI 1 grown on sugarcane bagasse and palm kernel cake at 1 : 1 (w/w) ratio. Under optimised SSF conditions of 0.5 kg substrate; 70% (w/w) moisture content; 30°C; aeration at 4 L/h · g fermented substrate for 5 min and mixing at 0.5 rpm for 5 min, about 3.4 U/g of Filter paper activity (FPase) was obtained. At the same time, comparative studies of the enzymes production under the same SSF conditions indicated that FPase produced by A. niger USM AI 1 was about 35.3% higher compared to Trichoderma reesei. This shows that the performance of this newly designed SSF bioreactor is acceptable and potentially used as prototype for larger-scale bioreactor design.

PRODUÇÃO DE CONÍDIOS DE METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE EM MEIO SÓLIDO À BASE DE RESÍDUOS AGROINDUSTRIAIS

RESUMO As crescentes despesas com o custo do meio para o cultivo de Metarhizium anisopliae levantam a necessidade de averiguar a eficiência de alguns resíduos agroindustriais que, além de propriedades nutricionais importantes, possuem grande disponibilidade e baixo custo. Os experimentos foram conduzidos no Laboratório de Tecnologia das Fermentações, UNIOESTE, Campus de Cascavel, PR. Neste trabalho, foram avaliados como substratos arroz polido (meio padrão), arroz vermelho, arroz polido suplementado com melaço (2,5%, 5% e 10%), resíduo de cervejaria, resíduo de fecularia, arroz polido + resíduo de cervejaria (1:1) e arroz polido + resíduo de fecularia (1:1). Os experimentos foram realizados em triplicata, em frascos Erlernmeyer de 250 mL contendo 30 g do substrato (ou 15 g de cada, quando em mistura) e umidade de 70 ± 10%. Os frascos foram inoculados com 0,5 mL da suspensão de conídios (1 × 108 conídios/mL) e incubados em BOD (25 ± 1o C, fotofase 12h, 7 dias). Dentre os meios testados, verificou-se uma elevada produção de conídios no meio composto por arroz + resíduo de cervejaria (11,3 × 108 conídios/g de substrato) e no arroz (9,6 × 108 conídios/g). Os conídios produzidos no meio de arroz + resíduo de cervejaria apresentaram atividade inseticida frente a Spodoptera frugiperda semelhante a dos conídios produzidos no arroz. Este novo meio de cultivo poderá proporcionar uma redução de custo de aproximadamente 50%, representando uma alternativa viável para a produção do fungo.

Utilization of horticultural waste for laccase production by Trametes versicolor under solid-state fermentation

Horticultural waste collected from a landscape company in Singapore was utilized as the substrate for the production of laccase under solid-state fermentation by Trametes versicolor. The effects of substrate particle size, types of inducers, incubation temperature and time, initial medium pH value, and moisture content on laccase production were investigated. The optimum productivity of laccase (8.6 U/g substrate) was achieved by employing horticultural waste of particle size greater than 500 μm and using veratryl alcohol as the inducer. The culture was at 30 °C for 7 days at moisture content of solid substrate of 85% and initial pH 7.0. The decolorization was also investigated in order to assess the degrading capability of the ligninolytic laccase obtained in the above-mentioned cultures. The decolorization degree of a model dye, phenol red, was around 41.79% in 72 h of incubation. By far, this is the first report on the optimization of laccase production by T. versicolor under solid-state fermentation using horticultural waste as the substrate.

Heat transfer simulation in solid substrate fermentation

A mathematical model was developed and tested to simulate the generation and transfer of heat in solid substrate fermentation (SSF). The experimental studies were realized in a 1-L static bioreactor packed with cassava wet meal and inoculated with Aspergillus niger. A simplified pseudohomogeneous monodimensional dynamic model was used for the energy balance. Kinetic equations taking into account biomass formation (logistic), sugar consumption (with maintenance), and carbon dioxide formation were used. Model verification was achieved by comparison of calculated and experimental temperatures. Heat transfer was evaluated by the estimation of Biot and Peclet heat dimensionless numbers 5-10 and 2550-2750, respectively. It was shown that conduction through the fermentation fixed bed was the main heat transfer resistance. This model intends to reach a better understanding of transport phenomena in SSF, a fact which could be used to evaluate various alternatives for temperature control of SSF, i.e., changing air flow rates and increasing water content. Dimensionless numbers could be used as scale-up criteria of large fermentors, since in those ratios are described the operating conditions, geometry, and size of the bioreactor. It could lead to improved solid reactor systems. The model can be used as a basis for automatic control of SSF for the production of valuable metabolites in static fermentors.

Xylanase production by Aspergillus niger FTCC 5003 using palm kernel cake in fermentative bioprocess

The production of xylanase from palm kernel cake as a substrate was studied in solid substrate fermentation. The simultaneous effects of three independent variables, namely incubation temperature, initial moisture content of substrate and air flow rate on xylanase production were evaluated by response surface methodology using central composite face centered design. A total of 18 experiments were carried out in which Aspergillus niger FTCC 5003 was cultivated on palm kernel cake in a column bioreactor for 7 days under incubation temperature, moisture level and aeration rate determined. Test results showed that the highest xylanase activity of 174.88 U g(-1) was produced at incubation temperature, initial moisture level and aeration rate of 25 degrees C, 60% and 1.5 L min(-1), respectively. The statistical analysis of the experimental results revealed that the linear effect of incubation temperature and quadratic term of initial moisture content had highly significant effects on xylanase production (p<0.01). Statistical results also showed that interaction effect between incubation temperature and initial moisture content as well as interaction effect between moisture level and aeration rate influenced the yield ofxylanase at probability levels of 95%. Optimum conditions determined by statistical model for attaining maximum xylanase production were incubation temperature of 25 degrees C, initial moisture level of 63% and aeration rate of 1.76 L min(-1). The xylanase activity of 192.50 U g(-1) was obtained when solid substrate fermentation was performed under the optimal circumstances.

Solid State Bioconversion of Oil Palm Biomass for Ligninase Enzyme Production

A laboratory-scale study of bioconversion of local lignocellulosic material, oil palm biomass (OPB) was conducted by evaluating the enzyme production through microbial treatment in solid state bioconversion (SSB). OPB in the form of empty fruit bunches (EFB) was used as a solid substrate and treated with the white-rot fungus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, to produce ligninase. The results showed that the highest ligninase activity of 400.27 U/liter was obtained at day 12 of fermentation. While the optimum study indicated the enzyme production of 1472.8 U/liter with moisture content of 50%, 578.7 U/liter with 10% v/w of inoculum size, and 721.8 U/liter with co-substrate concentration of 1% (w/w) at days 9, 9 and 12 of fungal treatment, respectively. The parameters glucosamine and reducing sugar were observed to evaluate the growth and substrate utilization in the experiment.

Hydrolysis and fermentation of brewer's spent grain by Neurospora crassa

In this study, the ethanol production by the mesophilic fungus Neurospora crassa from BG was studied and optimized concerning the induction of lignocellulose degrading enzymes and the production phase as well. The production of cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes was studied under solid-state cultivation (SSC). SSC in a laboratory horizontal bioreactor using the optimized medium, WS and BG in the ratio 1:1 and initial moisture level 61.5%, allowed the large scale production of the multienzymatic system. Similar yields with those from flasks experiments, as high as 1073,56,4.2,1.6,3.1,5.7 and 0.52 U g(-1) carbon source of xylanase, endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, beta-glucosidase, alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase, acetyl esterase and feruloyl esterase, respectively, were obtained. Chromogenic (fluorogenic) 4-methylumbelliferyl substrates were used to characterize the major activities of the multienzyme component, after the separation by isoelectric focusing (IEF) electrophoresis. Alkali pre-treated BG was used for ethanol production. A yield of about 74 g of ethanol kg(-1) dry BG (5,6 g L(-1)) was obtained under optimum conditions (aeration 0.1 vvm, pre-treatment with 1g NaOH 10 g(-1)dry BG).

Exploitation of biological wastes for the production of value-added products under solid-state fermentation conditions

Biological wastes contain several reusable substances of high value such as soluble sugars and fibre. Direct disposal of such wastes to soil or landfill causes serious environmental problems. Thus, the development of potential value-added processes for these wastes is highly attractive. These biological wastes can be used as support-substrates in solid-state fermentation (SSF) to produce industrially relevant metabolites with great economical advantage. In addition, it is an environmentally friendly method of waste management. This paper reviews the reutilization of biological wastes for the production of value-added products using the SSF technique.

Solid-state fermentation for gluconic acid production from sugarcane molasses by Aspergillus niger ARNU-4 employing tea waste as the novel solid support

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) was evaluated to produce gluconic acid by metal resistant Aspergillus niger (ARNU-4) strain using tea waste as solid support and with molasses based fermentation medium. Various crucial parameters such as moisture content, temperature, aeration and inoculum size were derived; 70% moisture level, 30 degrees C temperature, 3% inoculum size and an aeration volume of 2.5l min(-1) was suited for maximal (76.3 gl(-1)) gluconic acid production. Non-clarified molasses based fermentation media was utilized by strain ARNU-4 and maximum gluconic acid production was observed following 8-12 days of fermentation cycle. Different concentrations of additives viz. oil cake, soya oil, jaggary, yeast extract, cheese whey and mustard oil were supplemented for further enhancement of the production ability of microorganism. Addition of yeast extract (0.5%) was observed inducive for enhanced (82.2 gl(-1)) gluconic acid production.

Fungal multienzyme production on industrial by-products of the citrus-processing industry

Orange peels is the principal solid by-product of the citrus processing industry and the disposal of the fresh peels is becoming a major problem to many factories. Dry citrus peels are rich in pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose and may be used as a fermentation substrate. Production of multienzyme preparations containing pectinolytic, cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes by the mesophilic fungi Aspergillus niger BTL, Fusarium oxysporum F3, Neurospora crassa DSM 1129 and Penicillium decumbens under solid-state fermentation (SSF) on dry orange peels was enhanced by optimization of initial pH of the culture medium and initial moisture level. Under optimal conditions A. niger BTL was by far the most potent strain in polygalacturonase and pectate lyase, production followed by F. oxysporum F3, N. crassa DSM 1129 and P. decumbens. N. crassa DSM 1129 produced the highest endoglucanase activity and P. decumbens the lowest one. Comparison of xylanase production revealed that A. niger BTL produced the highest activity followed by N. crassa DSM 1129, P. decumbens and F. oxysporum F3. N. crassa DSM 1129 and P. decumbens did not produce any beta-xylosidase activity, while A. niger BTL produced approximately 10 times more beta-xylosidase than F. oxysporum F3. The highest invertase activity was produced by A. niger BTL while the lowest ones by F. oxysporum F3 and P. decumbens. After SSF of the four fungi, under optimal conditions, the fermented substrate was either directly exposed to autohydrolysis or new material was added, and the in situ produced multienzyme systems were successfully used for the partial degradation of orange peels polysaccharides and the liberation of fermentable sugars.

Laccase production at reactor scale by filamentous fungi

Laccases have received much attention from researchers during the past decades due to their broad substrate specificity and to the fact that they use molecular oxygen as the final electron acceptor instead of hydrogen peroxide as used by peroxidases. This makes laccases highly interesting for a wide variety of processes, such as textile dye decolouration, pulp bleaching, effluent detoxification, biosensors and bioremediation. The successful application of laccases to the above-mentioned processes requires the production of large quantities of enzyme at low cost. Filamentous fungi are able to produce laccases in high amounts, however, an efficient production system at bioreactor scale is still lacking. This is mainly due to the fact that laccase production by wild-type strains of filamentous fungi is linked to secondary metabolism, which implies that the following drawbacks must be overcome: uncontrolled fungal growth, the formation of polysaccharides around mycelia and the secretion of certain compounds (i.e. proteases) that inactivate laccases. This review summarizes the current status of laccase production by wild-type strains of filamentous fungi at the bioreactor scale.

Effect of cultivating conditions on alpha-galactosidase production by a novel Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 strain in solid-state fermentation

The work is intended to achieve optimum culture conditions of alpha-galactosidase production by a mutant strain Aspergillus foetidus ZU-G1 in solid-state fermentation (SSF). Certain fermentation parameters involving moisture content, incubation temperature, cultivation period of seed, inoculum volume, initial pH value, layers of pledget, load size of medium and period of cultivation were investigated separately. The optimal cultivating conditions of alpha-galactosidase production in SSF were 60% initial moisture of medium, 28 degrees C incubation temperature, 18 h cultivation period of seed, 10% inoculum volume, 5.0 approximately 6.0 initial pH of medium, 6 layers of pledget and 10 g dry matter loadage. Under the optimized cultivation conditions, the maximum alpha-galactosidase production was 2 037.51 U/g dry matter near the 144th hour of fermentation.

Comparative profiles of alpha-amylase production in conventional tray reactor and GROWTEK bioreactor

GROWTEK bioreactor was used as modified solid-state fermentor to circumvent many of the problems associated with the conventional tray reactors for solid-state fermentation (SSF). Aspergillus oryzae IFO-30103 produced very high levels of alpha-amylase by modified solid-state fermentation (mSSF) compared to SSF carried out in enamel coated metallic trays utilizing wheat bran as substrate. High alpha-amylase yield of 15,833 U g(-1) dry solid in mSSF were obtained when the fungus were cultivated at an initial pH of 6.0 at 32 degrees C for 54 h whereas alpha-amylase production in SSF reached its maxima (12,899 U g(-1) dry solid ) at 30 degrees C after 66 h of incubation. With the supplementation of 1% NaNO(3), the maximum activity obtained was 19,665 U g(-1) dry solid (24% higher than control) in mSSF, whereas, in SSF maximum activity was 15,480 U g(-1) dry solid in presence of 0.1% Triton X-100 (20% higher than the control).

Biodegradation of heavy crude oil Maya using spent compost and sugar cane bagasse wastes

Experiments were carried out to evaluate the use of some agroindustrial wastes as supports in solid state cultures for the biodegradation of crude oil Maya in static column reactors over 15-20 days periods. Spent compost and cane bagasse wastes showed superior qualities over peat moss waste as support candidates with the advantage that they contain appreciable densities of autochthonous microorganisms in the order of 10(2) cfu g(-1). Mercuric chloride (2%) was able to completely inhibit growth of these microfloras. Biodegradation was enhanced in the presence of the IMP consortium and highest when microflora from cane bagasse only was the bioaugmentation partner (180.7 mg kg(-1) day(-1)). Combination of these waste materials (3:1 ratio, respectively) was observed to significantly biodegrade the crude oil by approximately 40% in 15 days from an initial concentration of 10,000 mg kg(-1) with a four order of magnitude increase in microbial density during this period. Spent compost and cane bagasse wastes are veritable solid support candidates for use in the biodegradation of crude oil polluted systems.

Novel bioconversion of wheat straw to bio-organic fertilizer in a solid-state bioreactor

In order to increase the eco-efficiency and overall availability of naturally renewable resource, the novel bioconversion of steam-exploded wheat straw to bio-organic fertilizer containing N(2)-fixer, P and K solubilizers was investigated. The conversion was performed in solid-state fermentation (SSF) with periodic air-forced pressure oscillation (PAPO). The results showed that SSF-PAPO was competitive with the conventional solid-state fermentation (cSSF) in biomass accumulation and wheat straw digestion. With solid-liquid ratio 1:3, microbial biomass production at 72 h was high up to 2 x 10(11) cfu g(-1), nearly twice as that in cSSF. The degradation rate of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin after fermentation in SSF-PAPO reached 48.57 +/- 10.66, 84.77 +/- 2.75 and 2.15 +/- 10.11, respectively, which was greater than that of 29.30 +/- 10.28%, 33.47 +/- 4.85% and 0.53 +/- 9.07% in cSSF, correspondingly. The SSF-PAPO system displayed unique advantage, by a novel gas phase control strategy on gas concentration and heat gradient, on the bioconversion of wheat straw to the bio-organic fertilizer.