Ds. Rao et T. Panda, COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT WHOLE-CELL IMMOBILIZED ASPERGILLUS-NIGER CATALYSTS FOR GLUCONIC ACID FERMENTATION USING PRETREATED CANE MOLASSES, Bioprocess engineering, 11(5), 1994, pp. 209-212
To compare the efficiency of various whole cell immobilization techniq
ues for the production of gluconic acid by Aspergillus niger were inve
stigated using potassium ferrocyanide-treated cane molasses as the sub
strate. The techniques followed were: (1) Calcium alginate entrapment,
(2) cross-linking with glutaraldehyde after cell permeabilization wit
h (a) acetone, (b) toluene and (c) isopropanol and (3) development of
granular catalyst. A comparative analysis of yield has revealed that c
alcium alginate entrapment was the most suitable technique as it had g
iven the maximum product yield (0.40 g gluconic acid/g total reducing
sugar supplied). The properties of immobilized A.niger in sodium algin
ate gel have been thoroughly investigated and compared with those of f
ree cells under most suitable conditions of fermentation.