A Kinetic Model for Gluconic Acid Production by Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Fermentation kinetics of gluconic acid production by Aspergillus niger was studied in a batch system. The dependence of the specific growth rate on carbon and oxygen substrates was assumed to follow either the Monod or Contois kinetic model. The simulation results revealed that for predicting the fermentation process of gluconic acid production by A. niger, the Contois typemodel was more suitable than that based on the Monod equation. The Luedeking|Piret equation was proposed for gluconic acid production and an equation considering the cell maintenance for glucose and dissolved oxygen consumption. Estimated parameters of this model indicate that the production of gluconic acid was mostly growth-associated.