Comparative studies on ascorbic acid production by single and mixed cultures of Aspergillus flavus and A. tamarii
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Ascorbic acid is an antioxidant which promotes increased resistance to infection and acts as preservatives in foods. The complexity and
expensive nature of its production led to the search for a relatively simple and cheap method of ascorbic acid production. Hence, this
study investigated the potentials of mixed cultures of Aspergillus flavus and A. tamarii for increased ascorbic acid production.
Optimization of the fermentation process was carried out at pH (4 – 8), temperature (30 - 45 °C) and agitation speed (60 - 160 rpm) for
96 h. Titration and High Performance Liquid Chromatography techniques were used to determine the quantity of ascorbic acid
produced. The highest quantities of ascorbic acid were produced at pH (5.0), temperature (40 °C) and agitation speed of 100 rpm at 96
h of fermentation. The highest quantity of ascorbic acid (9.648 g/L) was produced by the mixed culture compared to acid yield of 6.248
and 7.246 g/L by A. flavus and A. tamarii respectively. The ability of the mixed cultures of A. flavus and A. tamarii in hyper-production
of ascorbic acid is therefore established in this study.
Keywords
QH Natural history, QH301 Biology, QR Microbiology