Direct Solid-State Fermentation of Soybean Processing Residues for the Production of Fungal Chitosan by Mucor rouxii

Andro Mondala,Brian Young,James Atkinson,Jan Pekarovic,Ramea Al-Mubarak,Shaun Shields,Yurguen Dos Santos Senger

doi:10.4236/msce.2015.32003

Andro Mondala, Brian Young + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4236/msce.2015.32003

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Abstract

The feasibility of utilizing soybean-processing residues such as soybean meal and hulls as substrates for chitosan production by the fungus Mucor rouxii ATCC 24905 via solid-state fermentation (SSF) was investigated. The effects of the type of soybean-based substrate, length of cultivation period, substrate moisture content, substrate pH, incubation temperature and extraction conditions on chitosan yield were determined. The results showed that a maximum fungal chitosan yield of up to 3.44% by dry substrate weight (34.4 g/kg) could be achieved using a pure soybean meal substrate with an initial moisture content of 50% (w/w) and pH of 5 - 6 incubated for six days at 25&degC. A more severe heat treatment (autoclaving vs. refluxing) resulted in higher chitosan extraction yields regardless of the strength of extraction reagents. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of the fungal chitosan revealed its degree of deacetylation (DDA) to be between 55% and 60%.

Highlights

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer that has gained increased attention in recent years due to its interesting and beneficial biological and molecular characteristics, which enable its application in a wide variety of industrial and biotechnological fields
The goal of this study is to investigate fungal chitosan production via solid-state fermentation of soybean processing residues using Mucor rouxii
The high carbohydrates and protein content of these residues could serve as carbon and nitrogen sources for direct fungal growth under solid-state cultivation and support the rationale behind the selection of these agricultural residues as fermentation substrates for chitosan production

Summary

Introduction

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer that has gained increased attention in recent years due to its interesting and beneficial biological and molecular characteristics, which enable its application in a wide variety of industrial and biotechnological fields These fields range from agriculture, environmental remediation, pulp and paper. Its unique and beneficial properties enabling its numerous applications include its cationic nature, chelation and ion-binding ability, protein immobilization, film- and gel-forming characteristics, chemical reactivity, amenability to modification, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity [3]. These properties are a consequence of its heterogeneous molecular structure and the presence of highly reactive amine groups at the glucosamine residues [4]. Fields and applications that can be served by utilizing chitosan and exploiting its properties include biomedical engineering, food and agriculture, environmental remediation, and polymers, films, fibers and coatings [1]-[3]

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