Glucose Production from Banana Peel using Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae ATCC 17891

Abstract

A Ajiboye, N Magaji and R Olawoyin*

Glucose is a sugar with a wide range of applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. It was produced in this study by submerged fermentation using fungi. Aspergillus flavus was isolated from banana peel, identified and compared to a typed strain of Aspergillus oryzae (ATCC 17891) collected from the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) Lagos. An agro based waste; banana peel (Musa sapientum) served as substrate. The proximate analysis of the banana peel was also determined using standard procedures. The banana peels substrate was pretreated by hydrolysis and used as substrate in a mineral salts medium in submerged fermentation. The parameters which gave the highest yields were there after combined in a single fermentation. Results of the proximate analysis of the banana peel showed carbohydrate 55.87%, crude protein 4.31%, crude fiber 7.25%, crude fat 8.17%, ash 12.75%, and moisture 11.65%. The fermentation parameters optimized to increase glucose activity include: Substrate concentration, incubation period (days), sucrose supplement, and nitrogen supplement. The amount of glucose produced by each test organism from the banana peel was determined and compared using DNSA/reducing sugar analysis. Of the two fungal isolates used, Aspergillus flavus had the highest glucose yield of 42.00 ± 1.13^b mg/ml which were observed on day 7 concentration of 50 g/l and least glucose yield of 1.50 ± 0.28^amg/ml were observed on day 1 at concentration 10 g/ml while the control Aspergillus oryzae 17891 had the highest glucose yield of 46.60 ± 0.68^a mg/ml on day 5 at concentration 40 g/l and lowest glucose yield of 1.90 ± 0.28^a mg/mlon day 1 at concentration of 10 g/l. These result support the use of banana peels as a substrate to produce glucose when hydrolyzed by fungi instead of being thrown away and left to rot and pollute the environment.