Co-production of fumaric acid and chitin from a nitrogen-rich lignocellulosic material – dairy manure – using a pelletized filamentous fungus Rhizopus oryzae ATCC 20344

Fumaric acid is widely used as a food additive for flavor and preservation. Rhizopus oryzae ATCC 20344 is a fungus known for good fumaric acid production. It also has been reported that the fungal biomass has high chitin content. This study investigated the possibility of producing both fumaric acid and chitin via R. oryzae fermentation of dairy manure. Co-production of valuable bio-based chemicals such as fumaric acid and chitin could make the utilization of manure more efficient and more profitable. A three step fermentation process was developed which effectively utilized the nitrogen as well as the carbohydrate sources within the manure. These steps were: the culturing of pellet seed; biomass cultivation on liquid manure to produce both biomass and chitin; and fumaric acid production on the hydrolysate from the manure fiber. Under the identified optimal conditions, the fermentation system had a fumaric acid yield of 31%, and a biomass concentration of 11.5 g/L that contained 0.21 g chitin/g biomass.