Valorization of Pineapple Peels through Single Cell Protein Production Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCDC 364

Background and objective: Pineapple peels contain significant quantities of carbohydrates, which can be used as cheap raw materials for production of commercially important products through fermentation. The aim of this study was to use this feed stock for the cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCDC 364 and its use as single cell protein. Material and methods: The single cell protein was produced using discarded pineapple peels and Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCDC 364. Optimization of bioprocess variables (temperature, pH, incubation period, carbon source and nitrogen source) affecting single cell protein production was carried out using classical one factor at a time approach. The harvested cells from optimized media were screened for amino acid content using high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Results and conclusion: The Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCDC 364 produced maximum single cell protein in pineapple peel based media, compared to non-optimized media. The one factor at a time approach showed that the maximum biomass production was achieved at optimized levels of temperature of 25ºC, pH of 5, incubation period of 120 h, carbon source of 1% sucrose and nitrogen source of 0.5% beef extract. The amino acid profiling of the harvested biomass using high-performance thin-layer chromatography analysis revealed that tryptophan included a comparatively higher concentration of 6.52%, followed by threonine (3.25%). Results of this study suggest that easily available raw materials such as fruit peels offer cost-effective substrates for production of commercially important microbial proteins for alarming global issues linked to protein malnutrition.