(67e) Production of Single-Cell Protein Using Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Defatted Soybean Meal-Derived Sugars By Candida Utilis and Komagataella Pastoris

The demand for soy-based food is increasing due to their nutritional and health benefits. Defatted soybean meal (DSM) is a major co-product from the soybean industry, and it has been used to produce soybean protein concentrates and isolates. Although DSM contains high protein content, it contains 20% less methionine than that recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). One method to offset amino acid deficiencies in DSM is to use DSM carbohydrates as a carbon source to produce single cell protein (SCP). In this work, we investigated the performance of commercial and non-immobilized enzymes, such as amyloglucosidase, pectinase, xylanase and Thermamyl® on the hydrolysis of carbohydrates into fermentable sugars. A maximum monomeric sugar yield of 35.1 ± 1.8% was achieved using 250 mg protein/ g DSM. The resulting monomeric sugars were used as carbon source by Candida utilis and Komagataella pastoris to produce SCP under aerobic environment. A final dry cell yield coefficient of 1.2 and 1.3 was observed for C. utilis and K. pastoris, respectively. The produced SCP by K. pastoris had superior lysine (by 46.4 ± 0.3%) and methionine (by 33.2 ± 0.3%) content relative to DSM protein. The results of this research could serve as a priced resource for the soybean and food industries in creating a premium plant-based protein, offering a broad alternative to traditional plant and animal-based proteins.