Itaconic acid production by Aspergillus terreus on raw starchy materials

Starchy materials such as corn starch, soft wheat flour, potato flour, cass ava flour, sorghum starch, sweet potato and industrial potato flours, eithe r acid or enzymatically hydrolysed, were used as substrates for itaconic ac id production by Aspergillus terreus NRRL 1960. Both production and yield w ere highest on corn starch (18.4 g l(-1) and 34.0%, respectively). The degr ee of hydrolysis had a great influence on acid production which was highest when corn starch was saccharified at 85 DE (dextrose equivalent). In a 3 l itre benchtop fermenter, itaconic acid production and productivity were 19. 8 g l(-1) and 0.13 g l(-1) h(-1), respectively.