PRODUCTION OF β-CAROTENE FROM DEPROTEINIZED WASTE WHEY FILTRATE USING MUCOR AZYGOSPORUS MTCC 414 IN SUBMERGED FERMENTATION

The cheese whey, a by-product of dairy industry proved to be an attractive substrate for production of beta-carotene. The beta-carotene production from Mucor azygosporus MTCC 414 by using deproteinized waste whey filtrate under submerged fermentation was investigated. Various fermentation variables, such as lactose content in whey, initial pH, production temperature, incubation time, and carbon and nitrogen sources played significant role on beta-carotene production. Maximum beta-carotene production (385 mu g/g dcw) was obtained with the whey (pH 5.5) containing 3.5% (w/v) lactose supplemented with soluble starch at (1.0%, w/v) at 30 degrees C after a 5 days incubation. Moreover, unlike other microorganisms which utilize pre-hydrolyzed lactose, this Mucor azygosporus MTCC 414 was found to be capable of utilizing unhydrolyzed lactose present in the whey.