Abstract
The remarkable properties of humic acids have generated a broad spectrum of applications in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and agricultural fields, and encouraged fermentation studies focusing on humic acids production. This work compares the humic acids production of Trichoderma (viride and reesei) species using empty fruit bunch as the substrate during submerged fermentation. The performance of each species was compared by examining spore production in oat medium, and the significant medium components and fermentation conditions were identified using Plackett and Burman statistical design. For both Trichoderma species, the results indicate that humic acids production can be enhanced by increasing the temperature, empty fruit bunch and peptone concentrations and by decreasing the (NH4)2SO4 concentration. T. reesei performed better than T. viride, generating 3-fold more of humic acids. Key words: Humic acids, Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderm aviride, submerged fermentation, empty fruit bunch.
Highlights
Trichoderma is a genus of asexually reproducing fungi with a high level of genetic diversity (Harman et al, 2004)
For both Trichoderma species, the results indicate that humic acids production can be enhanced by increasing the temperature, empty fruit bunch and peptone concentrations and by decreasing the (NH4)2SO4 concentration
Using image analysis with optical microscopy, it was observed that at 120 h of fermentation the T. reesei strain completed its sporulation phase, and only spores were present in the culture medium at 120 h, as was observed for the T. viride strain by Motta and Santana (2012)
Summary
Trichoderma is a genus of asexually reproducing fungi with a high level of genetic diversity (Harman et al, 2004) They are frequently found growing in soil as well as on other substrates, such as wood, bark, and other fungi, demonstrating their high opportunistic potential and their adaptability to various ecological conditions (Druzhinina, 2011). These characteristics indicate that this genus could be used in many biotechnological applications (Esposito and Silva, 1998). They are complex polymeric organic acids with a wide range of molecular weights and exist as heterogeneous mixtures of a variety of organic
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