Production of red pigment from oil palm frond using monascus purpureus FTC 5356 in solid state fermentation

• Main Author: Nor Farhana, Hamid
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/24694/1/Production%20of%20red%20pigment%20from%20oil%20palm%20frond%20using%20monascus%20purpureus%20FTC%205356%20in%20solid%20state%20fermentation.pdf; http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/24694/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Pahang

Production of red pigment by Monascus species has known as an edible pigment which rich in wide range of biological activities. Traditionally, Monascus pigment has been produced using rice powder as a culture substrate, which was industrially impractical due to pricey. To reduce the cost, the feasibility of oil palm fronds (OPF) used as an alternative substrate was investigated. This work focused on development and optimization of red pigment production from Monascus purpureus FTC 5356 using OPF as a substrate in solid state fermentation. The research findings presented in this thesis are based on a series of experiments carried out varying in complexity such as from simple preliminary and One Factor at One Time (OFAT) process to screen, optimize and validate process. In order to set the range for each factor, five factors which are initial moisture content of OPF (%), initial pH (pH), percentage of peptone (%), percentage of petiole and size of inoculums (spores/ml) were evaluated through OFAT method. For screening, factorial design technique was used and it was found that percentage of peptone, initial moisture content, and initial pH were the significant factors that contribute to the increasing of red pigment production. For optimization, Central Composite Design (CCD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used. Under the optimal condition, it was found that initial pH was the most significant factor that influences the red pigment production. The red pigment yield shows the increment from 2.90 AU/g (before optimized) to 46 AU/g (after optimized). As a conclusion, the usage of OPF is succeeded and has high potential as an alternative low-cost substrate for red pigment production by using Monascus purpureus FTC 5356.