Biosynthesis of lovastatin using agro-industrial wastes as carrier substrates

Purpose: To compare fungal strains including Aspergillus flavipes GCBL-72, Aspergillus flavus GCBL- 60, and Aspergillus niger GCBL-45 and determine whether solid- or liquid-state fermentation (SSF or LSF) is more appropriate for lovastatin production using various inexpensive raw materials. Methods: LSF and SSF techniques were used to produce the drug lovastatin. High-performance liquid chromatography was performed out to quantify lovastatin production. A kinetic growth model was applied to estimate product formation at the expense of substrate utilization. Results: Aspergillus flavus GCBL-60 was a superior lovastatin-producing strain consuming wheat bran as the raw material in SSF. The optimum lovastatin production was 28.36 ± 0.76 mg/100mL at 35 °C, pH 5.5, inoculum size 2 mL, 96 h incubation time, and 60% moisture content. Evaluation of the kinetic growth parameters for lovastatin production confirmed that product formation was improved after fermentation parameter optimization. Conclusion: Our results indicate that Aspergillus flavus GCBL-60 was best lovastatin-producing strain and that SSF was superior to LSF for maximum production. Careful optimization can enhance product formation.