Abstract

The fungal pigments are a good alternative to currently used synthetic colourants and / or natural colourants derived from plant materials. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of cassava processing waste as a substrate for production of pigments by Penicillium Purpurogenum in solid state fermentation (SSF). A pigment yield of 40.13 Colour Value Units (CVU) / g of dry fermented substrate was achieved by using cassava processing waste with optimized process parameters such as 50 % initial moisture content, inoculation with 4.0 ml of spores (25×10 5 spores) / gram of dry substrate and an incubation period of 15 days with 1 % peptone at 30°C,. Thus, utilization of cassava processing waste for red pigment production in this study could provide the most effective use of natural resources and lead to technology development for further cost reduction

Keywords: Solid state fermentation, Cassava processing waste, Penicillium purpurogenum, Red pigmen