INORGANIC NITROGEN SUPPLEMENTATION AND MICRO-FUNGAL FERMENTATION OF WHITE YAM PEELS (FLOUR) INTO SINGLE CELL PROTEIN

摘要

Solid state fermentation (SSF) technique was employed for the production of single cell protein (SCP) using white yam peels as a substrate. Commercial baker’s yeast (S. cerevisiae) and a local isolate of A. niger were used for the fermentation process to generate crude protein. The effect of supplementation by various inorganic sources of nitrogen on the crude protein yields was compared. Ammonium sulphate [(NH4)2SO4], one of the inorganic nitrogen source used, supported the highest crude protein yields of 16.78% and 21.30% respectively for A. niger and S. cerevisiae while the lowest yield of 13.92% and 18.00% were supported by potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate respectively.