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Response Surface Optimization for Decaffeination and Theophylline Production by Fusarium solani

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Abstract

Coffee processing industries generate caffeine-containing waste that needs to be treated and decaffeinated before being disposed. Five fungal isolates obtained on caffeine-containing mineral media were tested for their ability to utilize caffeine at high concentrations. An isolate identified as Fusarium solani could utilize caffeine as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen up to 5 g/l and could degrade it to an extent of 30–53 % in 120 h. Sucrose that was added as an auxiliary substrate (5 g/l) enhanced the biodecaffeination of caffeine to 88 % in 96 h. The addition of co- substrate (sucrose) not only resulted in higher biodecaffeination efficiency, but also reduced the incubation period from the initial 120 to 96 h. Theophylline and 3-methyl xanthine were obtained as the major metabolites of decaffeination at 96 and 120 h, respectively. Response surface methodology used to optimize the process parameters for maximum biodecaffeination as well as theophylline production showed that a pH of 5.8, temperature of 24 °C and inoculum size of 4.8 × 105 spores/ml have resulted in a complete biodecaffeination of caffeine as well as the production of theophylline with a yield of 33 % (w/w). Results thus show that a viable and sustainable process can be developed for the detoxification of caffeine along with the recovery of theophylline, a commercially important chemical.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Director, CSIR- CFTRI for his support. First author is grateful to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India, for granting senior research fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, CSIR—Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570020, India

    Shwetha Nanjundaiah & Praveena Bhatt

  2. Food Engineering Department, CSIR—Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570020, India

    Navin Kumar Rastogi

  3. Material Science Department, University of Mysore, Mysore, 570006, India

    Munna Singh Thakur

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  1. Shwetha Nanjundaiah
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  2. Praveena Bhatt
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  3. Navin Kumar Rastogi
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  4. Munna Singh Thakur
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Correspondence to Praveena Bhatt.

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Nanjundaiah, S., Bhatt, P., Rastogi, N.K. et al. Response Surface Optimization for Decaffeination and Theophylline Production by Fusarium solani . Appl Biochem Biotechnol 178, 58–75 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-015-1858-x

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