Background: Mucor indicus is a dimorphic fungus used in the production
of ethanol, oil, protein, and glucosamine. It can ferment different
pentoses and hexoses; however, the yields of products highly depend on
the nutrients and cultivation conditions. In this study, the effects of
different morphologic forms, cultivation time and temperature, presence
or absence of oxygen, carbon sources, and concentration of nitrogen
source on the products of M. indicus were investigated. Results: The
fungus with all morphologies produced high yields of ethanol, in the
range of 0.32\u20130.43 g/g, on glucose. However, the fungus with
filamentous morphology produced higher amounts of oil, protein,
phosphate, and glucosamine together with ethanol, compared with other
morphologies. A higher amount of oil (0.145 g/g biomass) was produced
at 28\ub0C, while the best temperature for protein and glucosamine
production was 32 and 37\ub0C, respectively. Although ethanol was
produced at a higher yield (0.44 g/g) under anaerobic conditions
compared with aerobic conditions (yield of 0.41 g/g), aerobic
cultivation resulted in higher yields of protein (0.51 g/g biomass),
glucosamine (0.16 g/g alkali insoluble material, AIM), and phosphate
(0.11 g/g AIM). Conclusions: It is not possible to have the maximum
amounts of the products simultaneously. The fermentation conditions and
composition of culture media determine the product yields. Carbon
source type and the addition of nitrogen source are among the most
influencing factors on the product yields. Moreover, all measured
products were made with higher yields in cultivation on glucose, except
glucosamine, which was produced with higher yields on xylose