Abstract

The production of pullulan from coconut water and coconut milk by Aureobasidium pullulans was investigated. The highest production of pullulan in batch fermentation with coconut water yield of 38.3 (g/L) and coconut milk yield 58.0 (g/L). The effect of initial pH, fermentation time, and additional nitrogen source was investigated. The highest pullulan concentration of 58.0 g/L was obtained for a fermentation of period of 144 h with the initial substrate concentration equivalent to 50 g/L and pH 7. The chemical structure of the pullulan synthesized from coconut by-products exhibited was similar when it was compared using FT-IR spectroscopy with that of pullulan available commercially.

Key words: Pullulan, Aureobasidium pullulans, coconut water, coconut milk, characterization, FT-IR.