Lakhasly

Penicillin production, a significant area of research, utilizes various Penicillium chrysogenum strains. Improving production efficiency focuses on cheaper substrates and simpler cultivation methods. Agro-industrial wastes like sugarcane bagasse and corn steep liquor offer a cost-effective alternative. This study aimed to isolate P. chrysogenum from local sources and assess its penicillin production potential using these wastes in shake-flask cultivations, leveraging Pakistan's abundance of such resources.

INTRODUCTION

in the treatment of mixed infections (1). Penicillin is most

actively produced by representatives of the species P.

chrysogenum. Several strains of P. chrysogenum are being

used for penicillin production at laboratory and commercial

levels in various countries of the world (7, 11). Research is still

continuing in an effort to economize its production by

fermentation. Special attention is being paid to develop strains

Production of penicillin has been the subject of many studies because of its academic and industrial importance. It is one of the oldest discoveries among the naturally occurring antibiotics. More than thirty different derivatives are being prepared from 6-aminopencillanic acid and playing a vital rolefor maximum penicillin productivity, to use cheap raw materials as substrate and to employ simple methods of cultivation for better penicillin production (13).

Agro-industrial wastes are generated annually and their

use as raw materials in technological processes for obtaining

products of high added value is gaining interest. Different

kinds of agro-industrial wastes have been reported for the

production of various enzymes and other products using

biotechnological processes (10). Among such wastes are sugar

cane bagasses (SCB), a plentiful biomass with high contents of

sugar and corn steep liquor (CSL), a waste product of starch

(maize) industry. These wastes can be used for penicillin

production by maintaining different series of P. chrysogenum.

This type of fermentation is quite feasible in an agricultural

country like Pakistan where these agro-industrial wastes are

available in large amounts for their commercial utilization. (8,

14).

Keeping in view the importance of the subject, the present work was carried out to isolate P. chrysogenum from local sources and to further evaluate it on the basis of penicillin production potential by shake-flask cultivations using simple agro-industrial wastes like sugarcane bagasse and corn steep liquor as substrates for mold growth.