ISSN 2756-3413
African Journal of Virology Research ISSN 2756-3413 Vol. 18 (2), pp. 001-006, February, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Bioconversion of corn stalks into butyric acid via continuous fermentation with clostridium thermobutyricum immobilization
Wei Li1, Hui-Juan Han2 and Chun-hui Zhang3*
1College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
2College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
3Henan Sansheng Pharmaceutical Industrial Co. Ltd., Xinxiang 453000, China.
Accepted 1 October, 2023
Abstract
Corn stalks were used as a support to immobilize Clostridium thermobutyricum in a fermentation process for butyric acid production. The effects of pH and acetic acid concentration on butyric acid production were examined in a steady- state 25-day continuous flow operation. A metabolic shift was induced by changing pH of the medium. The maximum and the minimum ratio of butyric acid and acetic acid produced in the fermentation process were achieved at pH 7.0 and 5.0, respectively, and the maximum yield of butyric acid was observed at pH 6.0. The addition of acetate in the medium has resulted in an increased butyric acid final concentration. The maximum total butyric acid concentration of 15.82 g/l was obtained at pH 6.0 with 10 g/l acetic acid concentration in the medium. The cell adsorption and morphology change during the growth phase on corn stalk support were examined by the scanning electronic microscope (SEM).
Key words: Butyric acid, corn stalk, immobilized cells, Clostridium thermobutyricum.