Biodegradation of tomato pomace and protein production by Pleurotus ostreatus

Abstract EN

Solid state fermentation was performed by cultivation of tlic fungus Pleurotus ostreatus on fixed amount of moisten raw and chemically prctrcated tomato pomace.

It was found that the best chcmical prctrcalment of tomato pomacc was with 5 % (v/v) ammonia at 100°C as the protein content increased from 5.6 to 8.1 % and the cellulose / lignin ratio increased from 4.6 to 5.9 after fermentation with P.ostreatus.

The best solid: liquid: ratio (pomacc : water) in the culture was 1 : 5 and the optimum inoculum size was 6 % (w / w) as the protein content increased from 5.6 to 10.4 and 10.5 % and the ccllulasc activity increased from 0 to 0.7 and 1.4u / g respectively under these optimum conditions.

Yeast cxtract was the best nitrogen source for biodcgradalion as it gave the highest protein production 9.8 %, increased cellulose / lignin ratio from 4.6 to 7, gave maximum ccllulase esizymc activity (5.1 u / g) and the highest production of reducing sugars (14.1 %) as compared with the other nitrogen sources namley ammonium sulphate, ammonium chloride and urea.

The optimum incubation time was 7 weeks as the protein increased to 14.4 %.