Influence of agitation intensity and aeration rate on production of antioxidative exopolysaccharides from submerged mycelial culture of Ganoderma resinaceum

Abstract

The present study investigated the influence of the aeration rate and agitation intensity on the production of the mycelial biomass and antioxidative exopolysaccharide (EPS) in Ganoderma resinaceum. In submerged cultures with varying agitation speeds and aeration rates in a stirred-tank reactor, the maximum mycelial biomass and maximum EPS concentration were achieved at 50 rpm and 300 rpm, respectively. Under varying aeration rates, the highest amount of mycelial biomass (18.1 g/l) was accumulated at the lowest aeration rate (0.5 vvm) and the maximum EPS production (3.0 g/l) obtained at 1.0 vvm. A compositional analysis revealed that the five different EPSs were protein-bound heteropolysaccharides, consisting of 87.17-89.22% carbohydrates and 10.78-12.83% proteins. The culture conditions had a striking affect on the carbohydrate composition of the EPS, resulting in different antioxidative activities. All the EPSs showed strong scavenging activities against superoxide and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, whereas no clear trend in antioxidative activity was observed against hydroxyl radicals and lipid peroxides. Although the precise reason for this difference is still unclear, the high glucose moiety of EPS is probably linked to its broad spectrum of antioxidative activity. © The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology.