Abstract

As the constraints related to environmental issues are becoming quite severe and stringent, it is necessary to develop optimized systems for food waste treatment. White rot fungi are ideal parameters for lignocellulosic wastes to produce microbial protein. In this study wheat straw was treated with NaOH 2% and heated at 100°C and was inoculated with Pleurotus florida by solid state fermentation (SSF). The crude protein was 62.8% per 100 g of dried single cell protein (SCP). The extracted protein hydrolyzed with HCl 6 Normal, and the amino acids analyzed by A-200 amino nova analyzer. The profile concentration of non essential amino acids was: Aspartic acid = 5.22, Serine = 3.6, Glutamic acid = 6.38, Prolin = 3.2, Glycine = 4.21, Alanine = 6.23, Cycteine = 1.18, Tyrosine = 2.61 g/100 g of extracted protein. The concentration of essential amino acids however has been reported. The comparison of both essential and non essential amino acids in conclusion, indicates that the ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids was 65.6% which clearly proves the effectiveness of this fungus for enhancing the feed value of agro-residues. All experiments were carried out in triplicate and result averaged accordingly.

Key words: Pleurotus, microbial protein, lignocellulosic waste, animal feed, solid state fermentation.