Production of the biocontrol agent Pantoea agglomerans strain CPA-2 using commercial products and by-products

The aim of this paper was to find the nitrogen and carbon sources that prov ide maximum biomass production of strain CPA-2 of the biocontrol agent Pant oea agglomerans and minimum cost of media, whilst maintaining biocontrol ef ficacy. To reduce the! cost of media, commercial products and by-products w ere tested. P agglomerans can be produced using a combination of nitrogen s ources such as yeast extract (5 g l(-1)) and dry beer yeast (10 g l(-1)) wi th inexpensive carbohydrates such as sucrose (10 g l(-1)) and molasses (20 g l(-1)), respectively, maintaining the efficacy of the biocontrol agent ag ainst Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum on oranges. The results obtaine d in this study could be used to provide a reliable basis for a scale-up of this fermentation process to an industrial level.