Microbial production of lysine from agrowastes.

Abstract

Lysine is a crucial amino acid that the body cannot produce but critical for overall health. Conventional lysine production is expensive, hazardous to the environment, and depends on refined substrates; therefore, a sustainable alternative that uses agricultural waste is required. The aim of this study was to produce lysine by bacteria using agro wastes as substrate. The objectives include isolating and screening lysine producing bacteria from soil sample, characterizing and identifying the lysine producing bacteria, screening agro-wastes (groundnut shell, corn cob, and sugarcane bagasse), optimizing the conditions for production and extracting and purifying lysine. Bacillus subtilis was isolated and utilized for fermentation while Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed for lysine quantification. The result showed that the three agro wastes were found to support lysine production, serving as carbon sources. However, corn cob poses to be the best carbon source for the bacterium. B. subtilis with lysine concentration of 1.41g/L under pH of 7, temperature of 32.50 °C, and a carbon concentration of 12.50% . The genetic modification of Bacillus subtilis to enhance its metabolic pathways for lysine synthesis should be the primary focus of further research and development.