Abstract

D-EA obtained by fermentation using micro-organism is a new biological food additive being widely used in the food industry. This work investigated the optimization of the fermented culture medium for maximization of D-erythorbic acid production produced byPenicillium griseoroseum FZ-13 using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). In the first optimization step, a Plackett–Burman design was used to evaluate the influence of 8 related factors. Glucose, urea, ammonium sulfate and zinc sulfate were found to be more significant factors. In the second step, the four significant factors aforementioned were further optimized using a Box–Behnken design. D-erythorbic acid production improved approximately 1.8-fold when the optimal medium was used compared with the original non-optimized medium, and its productivity reached a maximum of 7.88 g/L after a 120 h cultivation period. These results established a foundation for further investigating the direct fermentative production of D-erythorbic acid.

Key words: D-erythorbic acid, Penicillium griseoroseum, RSM, fermentation.