Abstract

OPTIMIZATION OF CITRIC ACID PRODUCTION FROM ASPERGILLUS NIGER USING PINEAPPLE WASTE AS FEEDSTOCK IN SUBMERGED FERMENTATION

Diptendu Sarkar* and Kamalesh Das

Abstract

A solid state fermentation was developed for citric acid productionfrom pineapple waste by Aspergillus niger. The medium wassupplemented with different concentration of glucose, sucrose,ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate. It was found thatpineapple waste with 15% (w/v) sucrose and ammonium nitrate(0.25% w/v) gave the optimum citric acid production (44.10 g/kg), inthe presence of methanol (4% v/v), when fermented for 7 days at 30°C, with the initial moisture content of 60 %. Our presentinvestigations show the use of pineapple peel as a cheap medium forthe production of commercially valuable organic acid (citric acid) byA. niger.

Keywords: Aspergillus niger, citric acid, pineapple waste, solid state fermentation.