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 production
from pineapple waste by Aspergillus niger. The medium was
supplemented with different concentration of glucose, sucrose,
ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulphate. It was found that
pineapple waste with 15% (w/v) sucrose and ammonium nitrate
(0.25% w/v) gave the optimum citric acid production (44.10 g/kg), in
the presence of methanol (4% v/v), when fermented for 7 days at 30
°C, with the initial moisture content of 60 %. Our present
investigations show the use of pineapple peel as a cheap medium for
the production of commercially valuable organic acid (citric acid) by
A. niger.

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