Engineering aspects of solid state fermentation

Mixed substrate solid state fermentation for production and extraction of lipase from Aspergillus niger MTCC 2594

A novel mixed substrate solid-state fermentation (SSF) process has been developed for Aspergillus niger MTCC 2594 using wheat bran (WB) and gingelly oil cake (GOC) and the results showed that addition of GOC to WB (WB : GOC, 3 : 1, w/w) increased the lipase activity by 36.0% and the activity was 384.3+/-4.5 U/g dry substrate at 30 degrees C and 72 h. Scale up of lipase production to 100 g and 1 kg tray-level batch fermentation resulted in 95.0% and 84.0% of enzyme activities respectively at 72 h. A three-stage multiple contact counter-current extraction yielded 97% enzyme recovery with a contact time of 60 min. However, extraction by simple percolation and plug-flow methods resulted in decreased enzyme recoveries. The mixed substrate SSF process has resulted in a significant increase in specific activity (58.9%) when compared to a submerged fermentation (SmF) system. Furthermore, an efficient process of extraction has been standardized with this process. Use of GOC along with WB as potential raw materials for enzyme production could be of great commercial significance. This is the first report on the production and extraction of lipase from Aspergillus niger using mixed solid substrates, WB and GOC, which are potential raw materials for the production of enzymes and other value-added products.

Production of fungal antibiotics using polymeric solid supports in solid-state and liquid fermentation

The use of inert absorbent polymeric supports for cellular attachment in solid-state fungal fermentation influenced growth, morphology, and production of bioactive secondary metabolites. Two filamentous fungi exemplified the utility of this approach to facilitate the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds. Cylindrocarpon sp. LL-Cyan426 produced pyrrocidines A and B and Acremonium sp. LL-Cyan416 produced acremonidins A-E when grown on agar bearing moist polyester-cellulose paper and generated distinctly different metabolite profiles than the conventional shaken or stationary liquid fermentations. Differences were also apparent when tenfold concentrated methanol extracts from these fermentations were tested against antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive bacteria, and zones of inhibition were compared. Shaken broth cultures of Acremonium sp. or Cylindrocarpon sp. showed complex HPLC patterns, lower levels of target compounds, and high levels of unwanted compounds and medium components, while agar/solid support cultures showed significantly increased yields of pyrrocidines A and B and acremonidins A-E, respectively. This method, mixed-phase fermentation (fermentation with an inert solid support bearing liquid medium), exploited the increase in surface area available for fungal growth on the supports and the tendency of some microorganisms to adhere to solid surfaces, possibly mimicking their natural growth habits. The production of dimeric anthraquinones by Penicillium sp. LL-WF159 was investigated in liquid fermentation using various inert polymeric immobilization supports composed of polypropylene, polypropylene cellulose, polyester-cellulose, or polyurethane. This culture produced rugulosin, skyrin, flavomannin, and a new bisanthracene, WF159-A, after fermentation in the presence and absence of polymeric supports for mycelial attachment. The physical nature of the different support systems influenced culture morphology and relative metabolite yields, as determined by HPLC analysis and measurement of antimicrobial activity. The application of such immobilized-cell fermentation methods under solid and liquid conditions facilitated the discovery of new antibiotic compounds, and offers new approaches to fungal fermentation for natural product discovery.

Bioreactors for tissue mass culture: Design, characterization, and recent advances

This paper reviews reports on three-dimensional mammalian tissue growth in bioreactors and the corresponding mammalian tissue growth requirements. The needs for nutrient and waste removal of several mammalian tissues are reviewed and compared with the environment of many reactors currently in use such as the continuous stirred tank, the hollow fiber, the Couette-Taylor, the airlift, and the rotating-wall reactors developed by NASA. Many studies conclude that oxygen supply appears to be one of the most important factors limiting tissue growth. Various correlations to describe oxygen mass transfer are presented and discussed with the aim to provide some guidance to design, construct, and test reactors for tissue mass culture. To obtain tissue thickness clinically valuable, dimensionless and other types of analysis tend to point out that diffusive transport will have to be matched with an important convection to bring sufficient oxygen molecular flux to the growing cells located within a tissue mass. As learned from solid-state fermentation and hairy root culture, during the growth of large biomass, heterogeneity (i.e., channeling, temperature gradients, non-uniform cell growth, transfer gradients, etc.) can cause some important problems and these should be addressed in tissue engineering as well. Reactors (along with the scaffolds) should be designed to minimize these issues. The role of the uterus, the reactor built by Nature, is examined, and the environment provided to a growing embryo is reported, yielding possible paths for further reactor developments. Finally, the importance of cell seeding methods is also addressed.

Solid-state fermentation systems-an overview

Starting with a brief history of solid-state fermentation (SSF), major aspects of SSF are reviewed, which include factors affecting SSF, biomass, fermentors, modeling, industrial microbial enzymes, organic acids, secondary metabolites, and bioremediation. Physico-chemical and environmental factors such as inoculum type, moisture and water activity, pH, temperature, substrate, particle size, aeration and agitation, nutritional factors, and oxygen and carbon dioxide affecting SSF are reviewed. The advantages of SSF over Submerged Fermentation (SmF) are indicated, and the different types of fermentors used in SSF described. The economic feasibilities of adopting SSF technology in the commercial production of industrial enzymes such as amylases, cellulases, xylanase, proteases, phytases, lipases, etc., organic acids such as citric acid and lactic acid, and secondary metabolites such as gibberellic acid, ergot alkaloids, and antibiotics such as penicillin, cyclosporin, cephamycin and tetracyclines are highlighted. The relevance of applying SSF technology in the production of mycotoxins, biofuels, and biocontrol agents is discussed, and the need for adopting SSF technology in bioremediation of toxic compounds, biological detoxication of agro-industrial residues, and biotransformation of agro-products and residues is emphasized.

Selection of medium components by Plackett-Burman design for production of L(+) lactic acid by Lactobacillus amylophilus GV6 in SSF using wheat bran

Plackett-Burman design was employed for screening 15 parameters for production of L(+) lactic acid from wheat bran, an inexpensive substrate and solid support, by Lactobacillus amylophilus GV6 in solid state fermentation (SSF). Eleven nutrients belonging to two categories viz.; nitrogen sources and salt sources along with three physical parameters and a buffer were screened. This design screens n variables in n + 1 number of experiments. Coefficients and sum of squares ratio in percentage (SS%) of these variables were calculated by subjecting the experimental data to statistical analysis. The nitrogen sources peptone, yeast extract and tri-ammonium citrate, along with NaH2PO4.2H2O and Tween 80, were found to influence productivity, which can be further optimized for increased lactic acid production. Use of this design is scarce in solid state fermentation and has not been attempted previously for single step conversion of starch to L(+) lactic acid using a bacterial system.

Influence of cultivating conditions on the alpha-galactosidase biosynthesis from a novel strain of Penicillium sp. in solid-state fermentation

AIMS

The work is intended to achieve optimum culture conditions of alpha-galactosidase production by a mutant strain Penicillium sp. in solid-state fermentation (SSF).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Certain fermentation parameters involving incubation temperature, moisture content, initial pH value, inoculum and load size of medium, and incubation time were investigated separately. The optimal temperature and moisture level for alpha-galactosidase biosynthesis was found to be 30 degrees C and 50%, respectively. The range of pH 5.5-6.5 was favourable. About 40-50 g of medium in 250-ml flask and inoculum over 1.0 x 10(6) spores were suitable for enzyme production. Seventy-five hours of incubation was enough for maximum alpha-galactosidase production. Substrate as wheat bran supplemented with soyabean meal and beet pulp markedly improved the enzyme yield in trays.

CONCLUSIONS

Under optimum culture conditions, the alpha-galactosidase activity from Penicillium sp. MAFIC-6 indicated 185.2 U g(-1) in tray of SSF.

SIGNIFICANT AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The process on alpha-galactosidase production in laboratory scale may have a potentiality of scaling-up.

Production, Isolation, and Purification of L-Asparaginase from Pseudomonas Aeruginosa 50071 Using Solid-state Fermentation

The L-asparaginase (E. C. 3. 5. 1. 1) enzyme was purified to homogeneity from Pseudomonas aeruginosa 50071 cells that were grown on solid-state fermentation. Different purification steps (including ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by separation on Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and CM-Sephadex C50) were applied to the crude culture filtrate to obtain a pure enzyme preparation. The enzyme was purified 106-fold and showed a final specific activity of 1900 IU/mg with a 43% yield. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the purified enzyme revealed it was one peptide chain with M(r) of 160 kDa. A Lineweaver-Burk analysis showed a K(m) value of 0.147 mM and V(max) of 35.7 IU. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 9 when incubated at 37 degrees C for 30 min. The amino acid composition of the purified enzyme was also determined.

Solid-state fermentation: A continuous process for fungal tannase production

Truly continuous solid-state fermentations with operating times of 2-3 weeks were conducted in a prototype bioreactor for the production of fungal (Penicillium glabrum) tannase from a tannin-containing model substrate. Substantial quantities of the enzyme were synthesized throughout the operating periods and (imperfect) steady-state conditions seemed to be achieved soon after start-up of the fermentations. This demonstrated for the first time the possibility of conducting solid-state fermentations in the continuous mode and with a constant noninoculated feed. The operating variables and fermentation conditions in the bioreactor were sufficiently well predicted for the basic reinoculation concept to succeed. However, an incomplete understanding of the microbial mechanisms, the experimental system, and their interaction indicated the need for more research in this novel area of solid-state fermentation.

Performance of an intermittent agitation rotating drum type bioreactor for solid-state fermentation of wheat straw

A laboratory bioreactor, designed for solid-state fermentation of thermophilic microorganisms, was operated for production of cellulases and hemicellulases by the thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus. The suitability of the apparatus for the effective control of important operating variables affecting growth of microbes in solid-state cultivation was determined. Application of the optimum conditions found for the moisture content of the medium, growth temperature and airflow rate produced enzyme yields of 1709 U endoglucanase, 4 U cellobiohydrolase, 79 U beta-glucosidase, 5.5 U FPA, 4490 U xylanase and 45 U beta-xylosidase per g of dry wheat straw. The correlation between microorganism growth and production of enzymes was efficiently described by the Le Duy kinetic model.

Utilization of shrimp shellfish waste as a substrate for solid-state cultivation of Aspergillus sp. S1-13: Evaluation of a culture based on chitinase formation which is necessary for chitin-assimilation

The utilization of shrimp shellfish waste as a substrate for solid-state cultivation of a filamentous fungus, Aspergillus sp. S1-13, was investigated. The organism was selected from among 220 isolates based on the productivity of its chitinolytic enzyme (chitinase), which might reflect microbial growth. The enzyme was produced only when the organism was grown on medium containing the shellfish waste. The addition of 58-65% water (w/w) to the medium was effective in enhancing production, and a certain amount of enzyme was observed in media of higher water content (up to about 75%). The initial pH and nitrogen source (ammonium sulfate) of the solid-state medium also affected the amount of enzyme. The amount of enzyme increased 2-fold in an optimum solid-state medium: 5 g of shrimp shellfish waste and 3 ml of basal medium (pH 5) containing 0.1% (NH4)2SO4 was inoculated with 4 ml of spore suspension; static cultivation at room temperature. The amount increased further (1.5-fold) when the cultivation was carried out at 37 degrees C, with 1.85 units of the enzyme formed from 1 g of shrimp shellfish waste. An analysis by ion-exchange column chromatography suggested the presence of at least two colloidal chitin-hydrolyzing enzymes and one p-nitrophenyl beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminide-hydrolyzing enzyme in an extract of the solid-state culture. The elution profile was similar to that obtained with a liquid culture filtrate.

Intra-particle oxygen diffusion limitation in solid-state fermentation

Oxygen limitation in solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been the topic of modeling studies, but thus far, there has been no experimental elucidation on oxygen-transfer limitation at the particle level. Therefore, intra-particle oxygen transfer was experimentally studied in cultures of Rhizopus oligosporus grown on the surface of solid, nutritionally defined, glucose and starch media. The fungal mat consisted of two layers--an upper layer with sparse aerial hyphae and gas-filled interstitial pores, and a dense bottom layer with liquid-filled pores. During the course of cultivation ethanol was detected in the medium indicating that oxygen was depleted in part of the fungal mat. Direct measurement of the oxygen concentrations in the fungal mat during cultivation, using oxygen microelectrodes, showed no oxygen depletion in the upper aerial layer, but revealed development of steep oxygen concentration gradients in the wet bottom layer. Initially, the fungal mat was fully oxygenated, but after 36.5 hours oxygen was undetectable at 100 microm below the gas-liquid interface. This was consistent with the calculated oxygen penetration depth using a reaction-diffusion model. Comparison of the overall oxygen consumption rate from the gas phase to the oxygen flux at the gas-liquid interface showed that oxygen consumption of the microorganisms occurred mainly in the wet part of the fungal mat. The contribution of the aerial hyphae to overall oxygen consumption was negligible. It can be concluded that optimal oxygen transfer in SSF depends on the available interfacial gas-liquid surface area and the thickness of the wet fungal layer. It is suggested that the moisture content of the matrix affects both parameters and, therefore, plays an important role in optimizing oxygen transfer in SSF cultures.

Biochemical engineering aspects of solid state bioprocessing

Despite centuries of use and renewed interest over the last 20 years in solid-state fermentation (SSF) technology, and despite its good potential for a range of products, there are currently relatively few large-scale commercial applications. This situation can be attributed to the complexity of the system: Macroscale and microscale heat and mass transfer limitations are intrinsic to the system, and it is only over the last decade or so that we have begun to understand them. This review presents the current state of understanding of biochemical engineering aspects of SSF processing, including not only the fermentation itself, but also the auxiliary steps of substrate and inoculum preparation and downstream processing and waste disposal. The fermentation step has received most research attention. Significant advances have been made over the last decade in understanding how the performance of SSF bioreactors can be controlled either by the intraparticle processes of enzyme and oxygen diffusion or by the macroscale heat transfer processes of conduction, convection, and evaporation. Mathematical modeling has played an important role in suggesting how SSF bioreactors should be designed and operated. However, these models have been developed on the basis of laboratory-scale data and there is an urgent need to test these models with data obtained in large-scale bioreactors.