Oyenike Makanjuola
PhD Student at University Of Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Title: The development of Sorghum bran based bio-refinery process
Biography
Biography: Oyenike Makanjuola
Abstract
The project aims to develop a sorghum waste biomass-based bio-refinery process to convert sorghum bran into value-added products. Sorghum bran is a food waste rich in starch and cellulose, making it a suitable substrate for bio-refinery process development. Solid state and submerge fungal fermentations were carried out first to culture A. awamori for the production of glucoamylase and alpha-amylase. Then the enzyme solutions were used for the enzymatic hydrolysis of sorghum bran for the production of a glucose-rich fermentation medium. The impact of pH, temperature, yeast extract, mineral content and inoculation ratio on enzyme activities were investigated in both solid-state fermentation and submerged fermentation. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to further optimize the glucoamylase activity. The hydrolysis efficiency of sorghum bran using the enzyme solution was evaluated and sorghum bran hydrolysate was used as the substrate for the production of bio-ethanol and itaconic acid, demonstrating the feasibility of converting a sorghum waste biomass to value-added products via a sustainable and environmentally friendly process.