566 / 2018-10-10 17:17:30

Monascus pigment production in a multi-stage fixed bed fermentation by using corn cob as a agriculture residual substrate

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Abstract
Monascus pigment (Angkak) is a natural red colorant which is usually made by culturing Monascus spp. on cooked rice. Changing from rice to corncob is to utilize a residue from agricultural waste. In Thailand, corn is produced many tons a years to animal farms. The research’s objective is to improve a multi-stage fixed-bed fermenter for Monascus pigment production on corn cob. The period of solid state fermentation was three weeks. The experiment was divided in two parts. In first part of experiment, corn cob was used as raw materials in different height of columns in a single fixed-bed fermenter. The samples was taken and analyzed every week. The result was shown that the maximum pigment and glucosamine was third weeks. In the first week, the product yield was low and then increased clearly in the second and third week. The 10 cm. height column which gave pigments and glucosamine content higher than the 20 and 30 cm height. The metabolic heat of angkak productions was monitored by using thermocouples and a datalogger. The higher temperature in the 30 cm. height column was higher than the 10 and 20 cm height column. In the second experiment, the air flow rate was supplied to produce angkak in a three stages of 10 cm. height column. The supplied air was compared from 0 to 8.6 L/min in each a fermenter (0 1.5±0.2 5.2±0.2 and 8.6±0.2 L/min). The results were showed that the moisture content was decreases when the rate of air flow increased and affect to decrease the pigment and glucosamine production. The air supply was slightly affected to a different temperature in columns. Therefore, the maximum yield of pigment and glucosamine was shown in the unaerated multi-stage fixed bed fermenter.

Key word: Monascus spp., Monascus pigment and Multi-stage fixed-bed fermenter