Fibrous Agricultural Biomass as a Potential Source for Bioconversion to Vanillic Acid

Pei-Ling Tang,Mohamad Yusof Maskat,Wan Aida Wan Mustapha,Jamaliah Md-Jahim,Osman Hassan

doi:10.1155/2014/509035

Pei-Ling Tang, Mohamad Yusof Maskat + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/509035

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Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the potential of six fibrous agricultural residues, namely, oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (OPEFBF), coconut coir fiber (CCF), pineapple peel (PP), pineapple crown leaves (PCL), kenaf bast fiber (KBF), and kenaf core fiber (KCF), as a source of ferulic acid and phenolic compounds for bioconversion into vanillic acid. The raw samples were pretreated with organosolv (NaOH-glycerol) and alkaline treatment (NaOH), to produce phenol-rich black liquor. The finding showed that the highest amount of phenolic compounds and ferulic acid was produced from CCF and PP, respectively. This study also found that organosolv treatment was the superior method for phenolic compound extraction, whereas alkaline treatment was the selective method for lignin extraction. Vanillic acid production byAspergillus nigerI-1472 was only observed when the fermentation broth was fed with liquors from PP and PCL, possibly due to the higher levels of ferulic acid in those samples.

Highlights

Lignocellulose feedstock has been recognized as the most promising material for renewable energy and biobased products
As lignin is a good source of phenolic compounds, the results suggested that coconut coir fiber (CCF) might be the best source of phenolic compounds among the tested biomasses
The results showed that empty fruit bunch fiber (EFBF) and kenaf bast fiber (KBF) were the reliable sources of sugars, and KBF was a good source of glucose

Summary

Introduction

Lignocellulose feedstock has been recognized as the most promising material for renewable energy and biobased products. In Malaysia, oil palm industry is the most important income generator. It generates the largest portion of the total lignocellulosic waste in the country. Ferulic acid functions as a cross-linking bridge between lignin and polysaccharides, in hemicellulose, via ester and ether bonds, forming lignin/phenolic-carbohydrates complexes in lignocellulosic residues [6, 10]. For the production of natural vanillin, the potential of an agricultural residue as a source of ferulic acid is related to the content and structure of hemicellulose and lignin

Methods

Results

Conclusion