Lactic acid fermentation of scampi waste in a rotating horizontal bioreactor for chitin recovery

Treatment of minced scampi (Nephrops norvegicus) waste, supplemented with glucose, in a bioreactor by a culture of the lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus paracasei strain A3, is described. The bioreactor comprised a mesh-covered basket mounted horizontally and enclosed within a glass outer jacket. The minced waste was placed inside the basket and agitation was provided by the controlled rotation of the basket. Batch fermentation was conducted over a period of 5 days at a temperature of 30 degrees C, during which a protein-rich liquor was produced as a result of proteolysis. The pH of this liquor attained a value of 5.0 after a period of approximately 48 h, and under these conditions rapid solubilisation of calcium from the shell components of the waste occurred. At the end of the fermentation, the solid fraction comprised 17.5% chitin (dry weight basis) with, respectively, 77.5 and 61.0% of protein and calcium present in the initial waste material having been solubilised. The by-product liquor may have potential as an animal feed supplement. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.