Production of Itaconic Acid through Submerged Fermentation Employing Different Species of Aspergillus

Itaconic acid was best produced by fungal species than bacterial species. The A. niger and A. terreus were known to be the best species for itaconic acid production among the different fungal species studied. However, there was no comprehensive study on using latest technologies for increasing the productivity at industrial level and it was not properly established. By keeping this in view, the present study was designed for study on increasing the production of itaconic acid feasible at commercial level and an attempt has been made to optimize the different physicochemical parameters required for obtaining the maximum production of itaconic acid using selected Aspergillus species. For increasing the productivity, the influence of starting substrate concentration, the optimum timing of additional substrate and the possibility of semi-continuous fermentation were analyzed in a series of bench-top and pilot-plant fermentations. Basing on the results of this systematic study, optimal inoculation and fermentation methodology can be developed for commercial application. The present study was designed to quantify and compare the production of itaconic acid from the four selected microbial fungal species viz., A. niger, A. terreus, A. nidulans and A. flavus under different physiological conditions using various sources. The growth studies and kinetics in batch cultures using A. niger, A. terreus, A. nidulans and A. flavus was investigated for itaconic acid production. The specific growth rate (μmax) is maximum for A. terreus (0.04199 hr-1). The yield factor (Yx/s) for cell mass is maximum for A. terreus (0.4976 g/g). The doubling time is minimum for A. terreus (14.84 h), The yield factor (Yp/x) is maximum for A. terreus (0.4387 g/g).