Whey has become the main dairy-industry waste product, despite continuous efforts aimed at finding a way to use it. The aim of this research was to investigate citric acid production by submerged fermentation using Aspergillus genus fungi, using whey as substrate to take economical advantage of it and to reduce the environmental impact caused by discharging this by-product into nearby streams. The following three strains were used: A. carbonarius NRRL 368, A. carbonarius NRRL 67 and A. niger NRRL 3. The best adaptation medium for inoculum propagation was selected. Proposed experimental design for evaluating citric acid biosynthesis from whey modified through different treatments showed that the two A. carbonarius strains did not present significant differences in acid production whereas A. niger NRRL 3 reached higher concentration when evaporated, deproteinised and p-galactosidase lactose-hydrolysed whey was used. However, A. carbonarius gave higher average citric acid titres than those found for A. niger. This suggests the need for carrying out further research on it as a potential producing strain. Cell growth, substrate consumption and acid production kinetics in a 3-L stirred-tank bioreactor with aeration were developed in the case of A. niger; kinetics were simulated through non-structured mathematical models. Key words: Aspergilluscarbonarius, Aspergillus niger, bioreactor, simulation, p-galactosidase.
Tópico:
Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
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9
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FuenteDOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals)