Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

2026

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Biology and Microbiology

First Advisor

Bishnu Karki

Abstract

Chitin is a biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymer with broad applications in the food, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and packaging industries. Conventional chitin production from crustacean shells is associated with seasonal availability, intensive chemical processing, and environmental concerns, creating interest in more sustainable alternatives. Filamentous fungi represent a promising source of chitin because of their rapid growth and ability to utilize low cost agro-industrial residues. This study evaluated the feasibility of producing fungal biomass and crude chitin from cheese whey through submerged fermentation while investigating the effects of whey type and enzymatic lactose hydrolysis on fungal growth, substrate utilization, and wastewater remediation. Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei were cultivated for five days in yellow cheese whey (YCW), skim cheese whey (SCW), and hydrolyzed skim cheese whey (HSCW) generated using the β-galactosidase enzyme Maxilact®. Biomass production, crude chitin content, residual sugars, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were determined to evaluate process performance. Enzymatic lactose hydrolysis enhanced substrate utilization by increasing the availability of fermentable sugars, resulting in improved fungal growth, greater crude chitin production, and enhanced COD removal. Aspergillus niger consistently outperformed T. reesei, producing the highest biomass concentration (17.03 ± 3.42 g/L) in SCW and the highest crude chitin content (21.35 ± 4.74%) in HSCW. Fungal cultivation also reduced the organic load of cheese whey, achieving COD reductions of up to 47%. Overall, this study demonstrates that integrating enzymatic lactose hydrolysis with fungal fermentation provides a sustainable strategy for simultaneously producing chitin-rich fungal biomass and valorizing dairy-processing residues, supporting the development of circular biorefinery approaches for cheese whey utilization.

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright