ABSTRACT
An increasing interest for global food shortages for the world’s expanding population necessitated the use of agro-waste as food sources or supplement for animal feeds. Candida tropicalis MYA- 3404 was isolated from pineapple fruit waste and identified by both phenotypic and molecular methods. Proximate analysis of three agro-wastes: melon, groundnut and walnut shell was carried out by standard chemical analytical methods. The protein content ranged between 3.73 to 12.14 % with groundnut shell having the highest. The shells contained 61.26 to 65.12 % carbohydrate. The moisture, fibre, ash and lipids were in the range 12.5 to 19.07 %, 6.45 to11.22 %, 1.43 to 6.50 % and 0.43 to 1.14 % respectively. Optimized production of bioprotein by Candida tropicalis MYA- 3404 was at pH 7.0, for 72h. Supplementation with nitrogen sources revealed highest biomass production with yeast extract. The optimization of a combination of carbon sources showed highest biomass production of 0.4640±0.053 mg/l for groundnut shell medium. Using submerged fermentation, maximum yield of cell biomass was produced from groundnut shell followed by melon shell as substrate for fermentation. C. tropicalis MYA 3404 can be used to produce bioprotein from agro-waste as a cheap source of protein in animal feed.
KEYWORDS: Yeast, Shells, Fermentation, Protein