LIPASE PRODUCTION BY SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION OF OLIVE CAKE AND SUGAR-CANE BAGASSE

Olive oil cake (OOC) from Morocco and sugar cane bagasse (SCB) were us ed for lipase production using thermostable fungal cultures of Rhizomu cor pusillus and Rhizopus rhizopodiformis. The maximum production of l ipase by Rhizomucor pusillus and Rhizopus rhizopodiformis in solid sta te fermentation (SSF) using SCB, was 4.99 U/g DM equivalent to 1.73 U/ ml and 2.67 U/g DM equivalent to 0.97 U/ml, respectively. However, the mixture of OOC and SCB, 50% each, increased the lipase activity as hi gh as 79.6 U/g DM equivalent to 43.04 U/ml and 20.24 U/g DM equivalent to 10.83 U/ml obtained by Rhizopus rhizopodiformis and Rhizomucor pus illus, respectively. These data compare favourably with most of the ac tivities reported for other Lipase hyperproducing microorganisms. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.