USAGE OF SUGAR CANE BAGASSE AS AN ENERGY SOURCE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LIPASE BY ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS

Abstract

The sugar cane industry residue/waste such as sugar cane bagasse contains complex lignocellulosic material, which can be used as an ideal and low cost carbon and energy source for the growth of microbes and production of microbial metabolites under submerged fermentation after pretreatment process. The sugar cane bagasse was pretreated with acid/base (0.3N and 0.6N H2SO4, NH4OH; 2.5% and 5.0% H2O2) to fermentable sugars. These fermentable sugars were used with mineral medium for the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus and production of industrially important enzyme lipase. Aspergillus fumigatus secreted maximum production of lipase 40.0 U/ml at 48 hours cultivation time, when it was grown on city sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate (pretreated with 0.6N NH4OH) mineral medium in comparison to industrial bagasse and other acid/base hydrolyzed sugar cane bagasse. The final pH of culture broth, reducing sugar and lipase activity were checked from fermented medium.