Studies on Bioconversion VI. Recycling Bagasse to Protein Rich Biomass

Media prepared using Molasses treated with potassium ferrocyanide on inoculation with Aspergillus oryzae yielded 27.4 g biomass and 9.6 g protein / litre broth. Untreated molasses media produced scanty growth and yielded 8 g biomass with 2.7 g protein / litre broth. Fifty gram bagasse pretreated with alkali (Ca0) when added to treated molasses produced 42 g biomass with 15 g protein / litre broth, whereas bagasse pretreated with water yielded 40 g biomass with 11.2 g protein / litre broth on dry weight basis. Nutritive value of bagasse with an initial value of 4% crude protein, enhanced by 22.4% and 30% on treatment with water and alkali and subsequent fermentation using A. oryzae. Thus net gain of 18.4% (4.6 fold) and 26% (6.5 fold) of protein on initial protein in bagasse on dry weight basis has been obtained respectively. Pretreatment of bagasse with alkali before fungal inoculation is, therefore, suggested for upgrading biomass protein.