Kojic acid production from rice by Amylomyces rouxii TISTR 3182 and Aspergillus oryzae TISTR 3259 and its cosmeceutical potential

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate kojic acid production from the fermentation of rice by using Amylomyces rouxii TISTR 3182 and Aspergillus oryzae TISTR 3259. Steamed rice was fermented by A. rouxii followed by A. oryzae for 15 days, and mixed and separated cultures of both strains were compared. Kojic acid was analysed using Bentley's colorimetric method while glucose was analysed by the dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method. The results showed that separation of A. rouxii from rice medium before the addition of A. oryzae produced more kojic acid than the mixed culture, reaching a maximum yield of approximately 1.54 ± 0.10 g/l at day 10, pH 4 and 27 ± 2°C. The fermented broth was evaluated for antioxidant activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, producing a maximum inhibition of 84 ± 11% and antityrosinase activity by dopachrome method with a maximum inhibition of 89 ± 11%. It may be concluded that microbial fermentation of rice could provide a good source of kojic acid. Separation of A. rouxii TISTR 3182 before the addition of A. oryzae TISTR 3259 in rice medium resulted in more effective kojic acid production. The fermented mixtures may have the potential to be further utilized as functional food and cosmetic ingredients, providing antioxidant and whitening activity.

Production of Kojic Acid by Aspergillus niger M4 with Different Concentrations of Yeast Extract as a Nitrogen Source

“…Regarding our study, the use of 0.10 g/L of YE followed the same formation of biomass and sugar consumption as observed by Saraphanchotiwitthaya and Sripalakit [45]; however, KA production showed a peak on day 6 (144 h) and, subsequently, there was a decrease in the metabolite. When there were high concentrations of YE, more than 90% of the glucose was consumed for cell development during the growth phase, leaving less than 10% for the conversion of KA during the production phase [17].…”

“…In another study, the production of KA and the fungal biomass of Aspergillus oryzae increased as fermentation progressed, reaching a maximum biomass value at day 12 and reducing glucose up to 42% coincidentally with KA production [41]. Saraphanchotiwitthaya and Sripalakit [45] observed a consumption of more than 90% glucose on day 12 by the Aspergillus oryzae strain, and KA production began to increase from day 6.…”