Production of short-chain fatty acids from the biodegradation of wheat straw lignin by Aspergillus fumigatus

The wheat straw lignin-rich fraction (WSLig-RF) can be used as a raw material for the production of metabolites for industrial use if ligninolytic mitosporic fungi are used for its biodegradation into aromatics and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs, i.e., SCFA2-6). Although methods for the production of SCFA2-6 have been described previously, quantitative data of SCFA2-6 production have not been reported. The objectives of this study were to investigate the biodegradation of different concentrations of WSLig-RF by Aspergillus fumigatus and to identify whether SCFA2-6 production was dependent on the concentration of aromatics. A. fumigatus generated 2805 mg L−1 acetic acid when mixed with WSLig-RF at a concentration of 20 g L−1. Thus, aromatics are a substrate for the biosynthesis of SCFA2-6, and their production depends on the concentration of WSLig-RF aromatics.