Fermentation Methods for Protein Enrichment of Cassava and Corn with Candida tropicalis

Candida tropicalis grows on soluble starch, corn, and cassava powders without requiring that these substrates be previously hydrolyzed. C. tropicalis possesses the enzyme needed to hydrolyze starch, namely, an alpha-amylase. That property has been used to develop a fermentation process whereby C. tropicalis can be grown directly on corn or cassava powders so that the resultant mixture of biomass and residual corn or cassava contains about 20% protein, which represents a balanced diet for either animal fodder or human food. The fact that no extra enzymes are required to hydrolyze starch results in a particularly efficient way of improving the nutritional value of amylaceous products, through a single-step fermentation process.