COCONUT CAKE - A POTENT SUBSTRATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LIPASE BY CANDIDA-RUGOSA IN SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION

Investigations were conducted with the aim of producing extracellular lipase from Candida rugosa by solid-state fermentation (SSF), using co conut oil cake (COG) as a solid substrate. To optimize production, var ious modifications were made to enrich the substrate by supplementing it with mineral solution, different carbon sources and several inorgan ic as well as organic nitrogen sources. Among them, urea (1%), peptone (3%) and maltose (5%) were found to be most suitable. Addition of oli ve oil (10%) encouraged Lipase synthesis. The maximum lipase activity in the enriched substrate was 87.76 units per gram of dry fermented su bstrate [U/g ds] compared to 25.81 U/g ds in the raw cake at 96 h of f ermentation, and growth was as high as 14.44 mg/g ds of glucosamine. T his was reached at 72 h in the enriched substrate. C. rugosa growth wa s calculated indirectly by estimating the glucosamine content in the c ell wall after its hydrolysis. The enzyme yield was far better than an y values reported as yet.