CAFFEINE DEGRADATION BY PENICILLIUM-VERRUCOSUM IN SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION OF COFFEE PULP - CRITICAL EFFECT OF ADDITIONAL INORGANIC AND ORGANIC NITROGEN-SOURCES

Effect of additional inorganic and organic nitrogen sources, either individually or in combination, on the degradation of caffeine pulp by Pencillium verrucosum in solid state fermentation was studied with a view to decaffeinate this agroindustrial waste for potential utilization as animal feed and overcome the problem of environmental pollution. The results revealed full inhibition of caffeine degradation with all the different strategies adopted for incorporation of additional nitrogen sources in the medium, in spite of good fungal growth. In contrast, full degradation of caffeine occurred in the absence of any added nitrogen source, in spite of the limited growth of the culture. The data on changes in the pH and moisture content of the media eliminated any possible role of these parameters in inhibiting caffein degradation in media with additional nitrogen sources. The results indicate utilization of caffeine by the culture as nitrogen source, which ultimately leads to its complete degradation.