Effect of nutritional factors on cellulase enzyme and microbial protein production by Aspergillus terreus and its evaluation

Abstract

The biomass yield, cellulolytic activity, and protein recovery using Aspergillus terreus GN1 with alkali-treated sugarcane bagasse was studied using different levels (250-600 mg of N/L of broth) of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources. e.g., cattle urine, urea, cornsteep liquor, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium iron sulfate, ammonium chloride, and sodium nitrate. Among different levels of alkali-treated bagasse substrate concentrations (0.5-4.0% w/v) tested, 1.0% substrate yielded the highest crude protein content, protein recovery, and cellulolytic activity. The biomass recovery with 1.0% substrate ranged from 290-380 mg/500 mg bagasse substrate in a 50-mL broth with a nitrogen level of 250-600 mg of N/L in all the sources except ammonium iron sulfate, which yielded 402-439 mg/500 mg bagasse substrate. However, crude protein content of biomass obtained with an ammonium iron sulfate nitrogen source was the lowest. Cornsteep liquor nitrogen source at the rate of 600 mg of N/L yielded the maximum crude protein of 32.9%, protein recovery of 22.2 g/100 g of bagasse, and carboxymethyl cellulase and filter paper enzyme activities of 1.1 and 0.09 units/mL, among the organic and inorganic nitrogen sources studied. In general, the organic nitrogen sources and inorganic nonammonium nitrogen sources were utilized preferentially for protein production over the inorganic ammonium nitrogen sources. The fermentation time required under optimum cultural and nutritional conditions for A. terreus GN1 was also evaluated. The crude protein content of the biomass increased gradually up to the seventh day of fermentation, but the protein recovery rate was high up to two or three days. It was observed that the cellulose utilization rate increased after an initial lag of one day up to the third day and gradually increased further, which corresponded positively with protein content, biomass protein recovery, and cellulase enzyme activity. On the seventh day of fermentation, the crude protein content, biomass protein recovery, water-soluble carbohydrate, bagasse cellulose utilization, CMCase, and FPase activities were 32.8%, 20.1 g/100 g of bagasse, 6.2%, 82.7%, 1.0. and 0.08 U/mL, respectively. The final biomass recovered contained 32.8% crude protein content and had an in vitro rumen digestibility (IVRD) coefficient of 68.8%. The biomass contained almost all the essential and nonessential amino acids and was comparable with FAO reference protein. It is concluded that a fermentation time of 72 h gave a faster rate of protein production of 16.9 g/100 g of bagasse with 69.8% bagasse cellulose utilization with 76.0% IVRD. and contained almost all the essential and nonessential amino acids.