Waste fungal biomass from biotech industry as a source of chitosan

The filamentous fungus Mucor circinelloides IBT-83 is an excellent producer of intracellular lipids. This makes it a promising candidate for large-scale cultivation for industrial oil production. However, this process generates significant amounts of defatted biomass, which can serve as a source of valuable compounds such as chitosan. It was shown that almost 100 g of chitosan (unpurified) can be extracted from 1 kg of defatted and dried mycelium of M. circinelloides IBT-83. Pre-dehydration of the mycelium by freeze-drying positively affects both the lipid extraction efficiency and the subsequent recovery of chitosan. The method developed in this study represents a promising approach for increased waste valorisation and supports the production of an industrially important biological product.