Citric acid production by Aspergillus niger grown on orange peel medium fortified with cane molasses

Citric acid production (CAP) by Aspergillus niger was obtained following culture on an orange peel medium (OPM) fortified with cane molasses. The key physico-chemical parameters influencing CAP, such as bed loading, moisture levels, volume and age of inoculum, initial pH, incubation temperature and duration, agitation rate, sugar concentration, addition of nitrogen and phosphorus sources, treatment of molasses and the addition of different low levels of alcohols, were assessed. The suitability of molasses to increase the concentration of sugar in the fermentation medium without previous treatments with EDTA or ferro-cyanide was indicated. Maximum amounts of CA (640 g/kg orange peel) were obtained after 72 h of incubation on an OPM moisturized to 65 % w/v, with bed loading of 20 %, an initial pH of 5, a temperature of 30 °C, an agitation rate of 250 rpm, with fortification of the medium with molasses at a final sugar concentration of 14 % in the presence of 3.5 % methanol.