Utilization of corn straw as a sole nitrogen and energy source in the production of biomass protein by some microorganisms

ABSTRACT

The utilization of corn straw hydrolysate [CSH] as a sole carbon and nitrogen source for the production of biomass protein by three different strains of microorganisms was studied. Aspergillus niger, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis and Candida utilis proved to grow well on media containing low and moderate concentrations of CSH with considerable amounts of cellular protein [SCP]. S. carlsbergensis produced the largest amount of SCP [37.9%] followed by C. utilis [34.6%] and A. niger [32.8%]. The presence of CSH in the fermentation media in a concentration containing 1.0% sugar supported the highest growth accompanied with the highest SCP production of all the tested strains. The obtained protein contained 17, 18 or 18 amino acids for A. niger, S. carlsbergensis and C. utilis, respectively