P37: Solulys K: An Ideal Choice for the Fermentation Industry

Corn steep liquor (CSL) is a common by-product of the corn wet-milling industry.  This by-product has found applications from animal feed to fermentation.  Typically, CSL has been utilized as a cost-effective source of nitrogen, vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other nutrients in a variety of fermentation applications.  However, as a “by-product” CSL can widely vary in consistency from lot to lot, and vary by manufacturer.  The difficulty in predicting composition and performance makes CSL a less than ideal nutrient source for many end users.

 Solulys K is not a “by-product”, rather a corn steep type product developed specifically by Roquette.  The tightly controlled process is aimed at producing a characteristic product profile that differentiates Solulys K from CSL.  Solulys K demonstrates lot to lot consistency, predictable performance, and industrial pricing/availability. 

 In this work, we will demonstrate the performance of Solulys K in both cell growth and enzyme productivity, compared to commercial CSL, yeast extract, and various other common nitrogen sources, by utilizing an alpha-amylase fermentation model with Bacillus subtilis (ATCC #21770). 

 (1) Solulys K demonstrated almost two times the effectiveness in both cell growth and enzyme productivity compared to commercial CSL and one chosen yeast extract;  (2) Solulys K is very comparable in performance to typically utilized corn peptones, potato peptones and soy flours.  In conclusion, it is clearly noted from this example that Solulys K is an excellent, cost-effective nutrition source in fermentation applications, and can be an excellent alternative to yeast extract, peptones and soy flour.