Plant Biotechnology

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 12 No. 1, Issue of January 15, 2009
© 2009 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received March 10, 2008 / Accepted August 4, 2008
DOI: 10.2225/vol12-issue1-fulltext-1
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Bioconversion of apple pomace into a multienzyme bio-feed by two mixed strains of Aspergillus niger in solid state fermentation

Sun Zhong-Tao
College of Life Sciences
Shandong Agricultural University
Tai'an 271018, P. R. China
Tel: 86 538 8242908
Fax: 86 538 8249157
E-mail: zhtsun@163.com

Tian Lin-Mao
College of Life Science and Technology
Gansu Agricultural University
Lanzhou 730046, P. R. China
E-mail: maoaidi2005@sohu.com

Liu Cheng
College of Life Sciences
Shandong Agricultural University
Tai'an 271018, P. R. China
Tel: 86 538 8242908
Fax: 86 538 8249157
E-mail: lcw@sdau.edu.cn

Du Jin-Hua*
College of Food Science and Technology
Shandong Agricultural University
Tai'an 271018, P. R. China
Tel.: 86 538 8249157
Fax: 86 538 8249157
E-mail: zhtsun@sdau.edu.cn

*Corresponding author

Website: http://www.sdau.edu.cn

Financial support: The Key Technologies R&D Programme of Shandong province, China (No. 2005GG110902002). 

Keywords: apple pomace, Aspergillus niger, multienzyme bio-feed, pectin, solid state fermentation, tannins.

Abstract   Full Text

Apple pomace is a wasted resource produced in large quantities and its deposit has caused serious environmental problems, so it is significance to make the full utilization of the residues. The objectives of this work were to produce multienzyme bio-feed, biodegrade the anti-nutritional factors such as pectin and tannins in apple pomace, and obtain the nutritional enrichment of the fermented substrate. The mixture of apple pomace and cottonseed powder (1:1, w/w), supplemented with 1% (w/w) (NH4)2SO4 and 0.1% (w/w) KH2PO4, was proved to be the optimum medium for the mixed strains of Aspergillus niger M2 and M3 (2:1, w/w). The activities of pectinase, proteinase and cellulase achieved 21168 u/g, 3585 u/g and 1208u/g, and the biodegradation rates of pectin and tannins reached 99.0% and 66.1%, respectively, when 0.4%(w/w) of the test fungiwere inoculated and incubated at 30ºC for 48 hrs in solid state fermentation. The utilization of apple pomace in the paper can be served as a model for the similar waste recycling.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network