Feed Insights, Vol 2
FEATURE A superior fermentation process Nutraferma refines solid state fermentation for large scale use S olid state fermentation SSF has been defined as a fermentation 7 FEED iNSIGHTS process that utilizes a solid fermentation media with low moisture The solid media often provides carbon energy and nutrients required for the microorganism SSF provides an environment for biological growth that is similar to what is found in nature since almost all microorganisms live on solid surfaces even those discovered in a marine environment were attached to an underwater solid surface A LONG HISTORY SSF has been utilized to produce foodstuffs since ancient times Kimchi a fermented cabbage was known at least 1500 years ago in Korea Koji which is rice fermented with Aspergillus dates back at least 2300 years Despite this long history submerged fermentation SmF also known as liquid fermentation is still the preferred method for producing large quantities of enzymes and biological products It has been estimated that 90 percent of all enzymes are produced using SmF Despite the wide adoption of SmF SSF has several advantages elimination of process waste the ability to use lower cost fermentation media lower water use and lower energy requirements Biological parameters such as pH stability and heat tolerance have been reported to be better with SSF compared to SmF Two major problems in SmF catabolite repression and unwanted protease production are minimal or absent in many comparable SSF processes Several published papers show that catabolite repression the inhibition of the metabolism of alternative carbon sources by glucose is low or nonexistent in SSF but is present in SmF In one paper enzyme production by Aspergillus niger in SmF was limited by catabolite repression whereas there was no repression with SSF at sucrose concentrations 15 times higher than SmF Researchers have also shown that in one particular process contaminating proteases broke down eight times more enzymes in SmF than in SSF Several academic papers show that SSF is superior to SmF in laboratory or pilot plant scale for a variety of microorganisms For example researchers have shown that certain enzymes produced in SSF have better temperature and pH stability than when produced in SmF Although SSF has proven superiority in some lab and bench scale studies large scale implementation has been hampered by the lack of ability to scale up the process for industrial production Effective fermentation requires control of temperature moisture and oxygen throughout the process The substrate must be sterile and homogenous Optimizing these parameters is particularly challenging in SSF but Nutraferma has been able to refine large scale aerobic fermentation and operate some of the largest solid state fermenters in the world BETTER PRODUCTS FOR ANIMAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION SSF offers distinct advantages in producing enzymes for livestock production Because the organisms are grown on a grain based
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