Studies on Isolation, Optimization and Bioprocess Engineering Behaviour of Entomopathogenic Fungi, Beauveria bassiana

Abstract

In the present investigation entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana was isolated from its soil source. Selective antibiotics with regulated dose were used to isolate the targeted spore in pure form. Chemotaxonomic studies involving lactophenol cotton blue staining, field emission scanning electron microscopy and the 28S rDNA gene sequencing method had revealed the microorganism to be B. bassiana. Hyphal growth has been optimized by using the response surface methodology taking three independent variables, namely concentration of dextrose, temperature and time of incubation and the results have been validated with R2 = 0.9941. Three-dimensional plots of response versus different combinations of independent variables quantitatively show the optimization results (concentration of dextrose 20 kg/m3, temperature 300.50 K and incubation time 16.00 days). Studies on biomass growth dynamics show that the related hyphal growth can be well explained by Monod's classical model equation.