Abstract - Growth of Cunninghamella elegans UCP 542 and production of chitin and chitosan using yam bean medium

Growth of Cunninghamella elegans UCP 542 and production of chitin and chitosan using yam bean medium

Thayza Christina Montenegro Stamford
Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ciências Ambientais
Universidade Católica de Pernambuco
Rua Nunes Machado, 42
Boa Vista. 50 050-590 Recife
PE, Brazil

Tânia Lucia Montenegro Stamford
Departamento de Nutrição
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Av. Professor Moraes Rego s/n
Cidade Universitária
50 670-901 Recife
PE, Brazil
E-mail: leaal@nutricao.ufpe.br

Newton Pereira Stamford
Departamento de Agronomia
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco
Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n
Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil
E-mail: newtonps@fastmodem.com.br

Benicio de Barros Neto
Departamento de Química Fundamental
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Av. Professor Moraes Rego s/n
Cidade Universitária, 50 670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
E-mail: bbn@ufpe.br

Galba Maria de Campos-Takaki*
Departamento de Química
Núcleo de Pesquisa em Ciências Ambientais
Universidade Católica de Pernambuco
Rua Nunes Machado, 42
Boa Vista. 50 050-590 Recife
PE, Brazil
Tel: 55 81 32164017
Fax: 55 81 32164043.
E-mail: takaki@unicap.br

Website: http://www.unicap.br

*Corresponding author

Financial support: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and the Universidade Católica de Pernambuco (UNICAP).

Keywords: biopolymers, chitin, chitosan, Cunninghamella elegans, Zygomycetes.

Microbiological processes were used for chitin and chitosan productions by Cunninghamella elegans (UCP 542) grown in a new economic culture medium. The assay was carried out to evaluate the growth of C. elegans using yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus L. Urban) medium, in different times of growth (24, 48, 72 and 96 hrs), incubated at 28ºC in an orbital shaker at 150 rpm. The lyophilized biomass was determined by gravimetry. The polysaccharides were extracted by alkali-acid treatment, and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, titration and viscosity. C. elegans grown in the yam bean medium and produced higher yields of biomass (24.3 g/ mL) in 96 hrs. The high level was chitosan (66 mg/g), and chitin (440 mg/g) were produced at 48 and 72 hrs of growth, respectively. The polysaccharides showed degree of deacetilation and viscosimetric molecular weight as: 6.2% and 3.25 x10⁴ g/mol for chitin, and 85% and 2.72 x 10⁴ g/mol for chitosan, respectively. The results obtained suggest high biotechnological potential of yam bean as an economic source to produce chitin and chitosan by C. elegans. In addition, the new medium using yam bean for production of the chitin and chitosan may be used for many purposes to reduce the cost price of fermentation processes.