Optimization of citric acid production by Aspergillus niger NRRL 567 grown in a column bioreactor

Citric acid production using Aspergillus niger NRRL 567 grown on peat moss has been optimized in a column bioreactor using a statistically based method. A 2(3) full factorial design with eight fermentation conditions was applied to evaluate significance on citric acid production and their interactions between variables, where the three independent variables evaluated were aeration rate, bed depth and temperature. Aeration rate and fermentation temperature were identified to be significant variables. Citric acid production markedly increases with aeration rate and fermentation temperature; however, the bed depth of solid substrate showed an insignificant effect on citric acid production. The optimum fermentation condition for citric acid production in a column bioreactor consisted of aeration rate of 0.84 vvm, bed depth of 22 cm and fermentation temperature of 32 degrees C. Under a given condition, a maximum citric acid production of 120.6 g/l was predicted and matched well with the experimental value of 123.9 g/kg.