Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Pretreated Corn Cobs by Mucor indicus for Ethanol Production

Nenad Marđetko (), Antonija Trontel, Mario Novak (), Mladen Pavlečić, Ana Dobrinčić, Vlatka Petravić Tominac and Božidar Šantek
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Nenad Marđetko: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Antonija Trontel: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mario Novak: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mladen Pavlečić: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ana Dobrinčić: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Vlatka Petravić Tominac: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Božidar Šantek: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Clean Technol., 2025, vol. 7, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: This study evaluates the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated corn cobs (PCCs) using a blend of commercial enzymes (Cellulase enzyme blend and Viscozyme L), followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with Mucor indicus DSM 2185 for ethanol production. A combination of 2% (vol vol −1 ) Cellulase enzyme blend and 5.18% (vol vol −1 ) Viscozyme L, corresponding to an enzyme loading of 48.9 FPU/g PCCs , enabled near-complete hydrolysis of 40 g L −1 PCCs within 6–48 h, achieving 92.66% total carbohydrate conversion into fermentable sugars. In SSF experiments conducted in Erlenmeyer flasks, optimal ethanol production in matrix nutrient medium (MNM) reached 14.95 g L −1 , with a conversion coefficient of 0.373 g g −1 at 30 °C over a 48 h period. Scale-up of the bioprocess in a 1.5 L stirred-tank bioreactor at 30 °C resulted in an ethanol concentration of 16.46 g L −1 , a total carbohydrate conversion of 86.27%, and a substrate-to-ethanol conversion coefficient of 0.44 g g −1 within 22 h. Minor secondary metabolites, including 0.88 g L −1 xylitol and 0.26 g L −1 glycerol, were also detected. Overall, the results demonstrate the potential of M. indicus in combination with commercial enzyme blends as a scalable strategy for industrial ethanol production.

Keywords: pretreated corn cobs; enzymatic hydrolysis; SSF; Mucor indicus; ethanol; secondary metabolites (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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