Bioconversion of Jackfruit Seed Waste to Fungal Biomass Protein by Submerged Fermentation

The bioconversion of jackfruit seed into a valuable product like Single-Cell Protein (SCP) was carried out using Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), five filamentous fungi such as Penicillium expansum, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus microsporus, and Candida intermedia by submerged fermentation. Data obtained from the study showed that supplementation of jackfruit seed extracts with inorganic nitrogen sources and glucose as a carbon source enhanced fungal biomass and SCP production. Among the various fungal strains, A. niger gave the highest biomass and protein yield of 4.01 ± 0.07 g/l and 1.82 ± 0.03 g/l, respectively, on the 9th day of fermentation followed by P. expansum (3.65 ± 0.04 g/l and 1.68 ± 0.03 g/l, respectively). C. intermedia growth was not recorded in all the experimental media. The present study revealed that fungal biomass has shown low crude fat, crude fiber, and total genomic DNA content ranged from 1.10 ± 0.20 to 4.95 ± 0.40%. A. niger and P. expansum were the most efficient in the conversion of sugar (55.83 ± 0.3% and 54.71 ± 0.4%, respectively) to yield biomass in sugar supplementation media. P. expansum and A. niger were the most promising fungal strains to produce fungal biomass protein using inexpensive agro-waste materials.