Gibberellic Acid Production from Corn Cob Residues via Fermentation with Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Following numerous biotechnological innovations, a variety of agricultural by-products can now be employed as low-cost substrates for the production of secondary metabolites, such as antibiotics, phytohormones, biofuels, pesticides, and organic acids. As an example, gibberellin (GA) growth phytohormones can be obtained by such means, wherein gibberellic acid (GA3) is of great interest worldwide in the agricultural sector. The central aspect of this research therefore focused on the bioconversion of agricultural by-products, such as corn cob, to obtain GA3 phytohormone via solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Aspergillus niger. The chemical characterization of the obtained material showed that the corn cob possessed glucose, mannose, arabinose, and lignin contents of 34, 26, 8, and 16%, respectively. Our results also indicated an appreciable carbon content (47%), in addition to the mineral elements of nitrogen (4%), potassium (1.2%), iron (0.03%), sodium (0.01%), calcium (0.06%), and Al (0.02%). Following SSF for 11 d in the presence of A. niger at pH 5, 30°C, and 24% sample consistency, a GA3 production of >6.1 g·kg−1 was obtained. This value is higher than those previously reported for different by-products of the food industry, such as coffee husk, wheat bran, cassava, pea pods, and sorghum straw (i.e., 0.25–5.5 g·kg−1) following SSF. The production of GA3 from corn cob residues not only contributes to reducing the negative impact of agricultural by-products but also represents a new source of a key raw material for phytohormone production, thereby contributing to the development of processes to convert agricultural residues into biologically active compounds of commercial interest.

A novel efficient multi-walled carbon nanotubes/gibberellic acid composite for enhancement vase life and quality of Rosa hybrida cv. ‘Moonstone’

“…Bands at 3424 and 1645 cm -1 are assigned to phenolic, alcoholic, and carboxylic O-H stretching vibrations, and a band at 2927 cm -1 is assigned to C-H stretching. Bands at 1456 and 1060 cm -1 correspond to C-C stretching in the aromatic ring, and C-O stretching, respectively [41] and [42].…”

Bioprocess of Gibberellic Acid by Fusarium fujikuroi: The Challenge of Regulation, Raw Materials, and Product Yields

“…The key competitors in this area are countries with impressive economies and technological development, such as China, the United States, Canada, Germany, and Japan [60]. The worldwide market for GAs, which was estimated at USD 907.7 million in 2023 is projected to reach USD 1434.52 million by the end of 2030, with a CAGR of 6.2% [97] Within the different commercial growth-active GAs, GA3 is the main gibberellin produced in commercial industrial-scale fermentations of Gibberella for agronomic, horticultural and other scientific applications [37].…”

Green synthesis of furfural from xylose and corn cob biomass

“…Of these, one of the most available is the corn cob, since it is generated as an agro-industrial residue, with 144 million tons of waste being discarded and/or burned per year worldwide. 15 Therefore, corn cob is a good choice as a raw material for furfural synthesis. However, for this process to occur under less drastic conditions, it is necessary to employ catalysts capable of assisting in the hydrolysis of hemicellulose polymer chains and posteriorly in the dehydration of pentoses.…”