Enzyme Production by Wood-Rot and Soft-Rot Fungi Cultivated on Corn Fiber Followed by Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation

This research aims at developing a biorefinery platform to convert lignocellulosic corn fiber into fermentable sugars at a moderate temperature (37 °C) with minimal use of chemicals. White-rot (Phanerochaete chrysosporium), brown-rot (Gloeophyllum trabeum), and soft-rot (Trichoderma reesei) fungi were used for in situ enzyme production to hydrolyze cellulosic and hemicellulosic components of corn fiber into fermentable sugars. Solid-substrate fermentation of corn fiber by either white- or brown-rot fungi followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with coculture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has shown a possibility of enhancing wood rot saccharification of corn fiber for ethanol fermentation. The laboratory-scale fungal saccharification and fermentation process incorporated in situ cellulolytic enzyme induction, which enhanced overall enzymatic hydrolysis of hemi/cellulose components of corn fiber into simple sugars (mono-, di-, and trisaccharides). The yeast fermentation of the hydrolyzate yielded 7.8, 8.6, and 4.9 g ethanol per 100 g corn fiber when saccharified with the white-, brown-, and soft-rot fungi, respectively. The highest ethanol yield (8.6 g ethanol per 100 g initial corn fiber) is equivalent to 35% of the theoretical ethanol yield from starch and cellulose in corn fiber. This research has significant commercial potential to increase net ethanol production per bushel of corn through the utilization of corn fiber. There is also a great research opportunity to evaluate the remaining biomass residue (enriched with fungal protein) as animal feed

Ozone retention method and system

A method and system of ozone treatment diverts a portion of water from a flow of water in a conduit, injects ozone into the portion to provide an ozonated portion, and recombines the ozonated portion with the flow of water in the conduit. Another method and system identifies a species-destructive reaction product of ozone with a water constituent, determines a life of the reaction product, and contacts ozone with a water containing the species for a period determined according to the determined life of the reaction product

Processes for isolating chitin and chitosan from fungal biomass

Methods of extracting chitin and chitosan from fungal biomass using a solution of one or more ammonia compounds, amines, and/or alkaline silicate compounds. The solution dissolves and extracts amino acids, fatty acids and other carbohydrates from the fungal cells leaving chitin and/or chitosan, and the extractant may be recovered from the liquid by simple phase changes such as heating or cooling, dissociation into volatile components, distillation and/or solidification and separation of immiscible extractants. Further lipid removal may be achieved with one or more organic solvents, which may also be recovered by distillation

Controlled bypass flow and ozone proportion method and system

A method and system of ozone treatment diverts a portion of water from a flowof water in a conduit; injects an ozone-containing gas into the portion to provide an ozonated portion; recombines the ozonated portion with the flow of water in the conduit; and controls and regulates the diverted portion to provide a minimum diverted portion flow rate according to flow in the conduit andproportion of ozone in the injected gas

Bypass flow and ozone proportion method and system

A method and system of ozone treatment diverts a portion of water from a flow of water in a conduit; injects an ozone-containing gas into the portion to provide an ozonated portion; recombines the ozonated portion with the flow of water in the conduit; and regulates the diverted portion to provide a minimum diverted portion flow rate according to flow in the conduit and proportion of ozone in the injected gas

Evaluation of Rhizopus oligosporus Yeast Supplementation on Growth Performance and Nutrient Digestibility in Nursery Pigs

The growth and performance of 24 nursery pigs fed a fungal cultivation of Rhizopus oligosporus (RO) was evaluated in a 28-day feeding and digestibility study. Nursery pigs average start weight of 5.62 ± 0.35 kg were provided ad libitum access to a corn-soybean diets containing three levels of RO, 0, 10, or 20%. Diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isolysinic, and contained the digestibility marker titanium dioxide. There was no difference in pig performance based on dietary inclusion of RO fungus. However, total tract DE was improved when feeding RO. Altogether, these data indicate that Rhizopus oligosporus cultivated on distillers stillage and bioproducts can be used in nursery swine diets with no negative effects on performance

Solid-Substrate Fermentation of Corn Fiber by Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Subsequent Fermentation of Hydrolysate into Ethanol

The goal of this study was to develop a fungal process for ethanol production from corn fiber. Laboratory-scale solid-substrate fermentation was performed using the white-rot fungusPhanerochaete chrysosporium in 1 L polypropylene bottles as reactors via incubation at 37 °C for up to 3 days. Extracellular enzymes produced in situ by P. chrysosporium degraded lignin and enhanced saccharification of polysaccharides in corn fiber. The percentage biomass weight loss and Klason lignin reduction were 34 and 41%, respectively. Anaerobic incubation at 37 °C following 2 day incubation reduced the fungal sugar consumption and enhanced the in situ cellulolytic enzyme activities. Two days of aerobic solid-substrate fermentation of corn fiber with P. chrysosporium, followed by anaerobic static submerged-culture fermentation resulted in 1.7 g of ethanol/100 g of corn fiber in 6 days, whereas yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cocultured with P. chrysosporium demonstrated enhanced ethanol production of 3 g of ethanol/100 g of corn fiber. Specific enzyme activity assays suggested starch and hemi/cellulose contribution of fermentable sugar