Abstract

A fermentation medium based on waste cassava starch hydrolysate and a four-phase

feeding strategy for a fed-batch culture of Baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are
presented. Cassava starch isolated from the wastewater produced in processing of
cassava mash into gari was liquefied with a thermostable 1.4-- D-glucanohydrolase (EC
3.2.1.1) in the presence of 100 ppm Ca2+ at 80C and pH 6.16.3 for one h. The
liquefied material was saccharified with 1.4--D-glucan glucohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.3) at
120C and pH 5.5 for two h. Over 98% of the starch was hydrolyzed; about 80.7% of the
hydrolysate was glucose. The fermentation feeding profile which was based on a
desired specific growth rare range of 0.180.23 h 1, a biomass yield coefficient of 0.5 g
g1, and a feed substrate concentration of 200 g l 1 was implemented manually using the
cassava hydrolysate feed in test experiments and glucose feed in control experiments.
The fermentation off-gas was analyzed on-line by mass spectrometry for the calculation
of the oxygen uptake rate, the carbon dioxide evolution rate, and the respiratory
quotient. Off-line determinations of biomass, ethanol, and glucose were done,
respectively, by dry weight, gas chromatography, and spectrophotometry. Cell mass
concentrations of 5058 g l1 were achieved in all experiments within 28 h of which the
last 15 h were in the fed-batch mode. The average biomass yields for the cassava and
glucose media were identical at 0.49 g g1. No significant differences were observed
between the leavening activities of the products of the test, the control media, and a
commerical preparation of instant active dry yeast. Waste cassava starch hydrolysate
was established as a suitable low cost replacement for glucose in the production of
baking-quality yeast.

Keywords
Waste cassava starch; liquefaction; saccharification; Baker's yeast; Saccharomyces
cerevisiae; fermentation
Address reprint requests to Dr. Yusuf Chisti, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
1

The permanent address of Anthony O. Ejiofor is the Department of Applied

Microbiology and Brewing, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P. M. B. 5025, Awka,
Anambra State, Nigeria
Copyright 1996 Published by Elsevier Inc.