Solid State Fermentation for Production of Chitosan by Aspergillus Niger

The effect of Solid State Fermentation (SSF) on Chitosan production by A. niger was investigated. A. niger BBRC 20004 from Biochemical and Bioenvironmental Research Centre of Sharif University of Technology (Tehran, Iran), was grown on corn residue. Chitosan was extracted from the fungal mycelia using hot alkaline and acid treatment. A. niger was incubated for 12 days on corn residue with moisture content of 35 % and 1.12 % of nitrogen. The Chitosan was obtained and 10.9 g/kg of Urea dry residue was added in various amounts to the medium in order to evaluate the effect of the nitrogen concentration in the production of Chitosan. The highest amount of Chitosan obtained by 6.5 g of urea after 12 days of incubation was 16.15 g/kg.