Utilization of Agro-industrial wastes as carbon source in solid-state fermentation processes for the production of value-added byproducts

Utilization of agro industrial wastes as solid support was evaluated in solid state fermentation (SSF) methods to produce value-added byproducts such as antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Among these agricultural wastes added as a carbon source in SSF process are corn cobs, olive mill, wheat bran, rice straw, rice bran and sorghum. The biological activities of the extracts of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) of Aspergillus pseudocaelatus MG772677 and Trichoderma gamsii KX685665 strains were studied. The extract of ethyl acetate of A. pseudocaelatus cultured on medium containing sorghum as natural carbon source showed the highest inhibitory activity against tested microorganisms. The antioxidant activity results varied based on the used waste as a carbon source as well as the incubation period. The EtOAc extracts of A. pseudocaelatus and T. gamsii cultivated on different agricultural wastes media showed potent antioxidant activities of scavenging DPPH when compared to those cultivated on PDA media. The highest percentage of antioxidant activity (53.84%) for the EtOAc extract of T. gamsii was observed after 7 days of incubation period.