Production of gibberellic acid from mussel processing wastes in submerged batch culture

Abstract

Mussel processing wastes (MPW), after being concentrated by ultraftltration (100 KD) and partially hydrolyzed (with amylase from Aspergillus oryzae cultures on raw wastes), are transformed into a substrate suitable for diverse bioproductions, one being gibberellic acid, whose production is known to be closely related to the level of N in the culture medium. Given the nature of the principal nutrients present in the wastes (glycogen and proteins as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively), in order to obtain a reasonable production of the hormone with minimum previous treatment of the medium, various aspects of the relationhsips between the types of nutrients and their balances, particularly in the trophopase, were studied. In this respect, compared to glucose the use of polysaccharides promoted a brief but intense alkalinizaion phase and the appearance of N-limitation at a greater level of remaining carbohydrate. On the other hand, although the type of C-source imposed differences on the requirements for N, the consumption rate of the latter seemed to be invariant under the conditions studied, the variable factor being the consumption rate of the C-source.