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Malik, D., Narayanasamy, N., Pratyusha, V.A., Thakur, J. and Sinha, N. (2023) Biological Roles of Water. In: Malik, D., Narayanasamy, N., Pratyusha, V.A., Thakur, J. and Sinha, N., Eds., Textbook of Nutritional Biochemistry, Springer Nature, 65-77.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4150-4_3

has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Optimization of Process Parameters for Single Cell Protein Production from Trichoderma atroviride Strain Using Cassava Peel Substrates

  AUTHORS: Linda Carol Sitati, Joseph Wafula Matofari, John Masani Nduko

  KEYWORDS: Trichoderma atroviride, Single-Cell Protein, Cassava Peel, Optimization, Response Surface Methodology, Circular Economy

  JOURNAL NAME: Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol.16 No.5, May 26, 2025

  ABSTRACT: This study aimed to optimize process variables for the enhanced production of single-cell protein (SCP) using Trichoderma atroviride EGER23 from cassava peels through Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Box-Behnken design was applied to investigate the influence of three key factors viz. moisture content (60.0% - 75.0%), pH (6.5 - 8.5), and incubation time (4 - 8 days) on protein content. A second-order polynomial model effectively explained the variation in experimental data and showed a strong correlation between the independent variables and the response. The optimized conditions (moisture content of 66.52%, pH of 6.50, and incubation time of 7.39 days) resulted in a maximum protein yield of 9.5% with a desirability of 91.66% after optimization. High moisture content lowered the protein yield by restricting oxygen transfer, whereas variations from the optimal pH inhibited the activity of enzymes involved in fungal metabolism. In addition, prolonging the fermentation period beyond the optimal period led to protein degradation rather than further accumulation. The optimization model showed that the optimization of process parameters maximizes Single Cell Protein production. The findings highlighted the potential of cassava peels as a sustainable substrate for microbial protein production, aligning with the circular economy strategies to enhance resource efficiency in food and feed production.