Deoiledjatropha seed cake is a useful nutrient for pullulan production

Pullulan is an industrially important polysaccharide with several potential applications in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic industries. However, the major bottleneck for commercial utilization of pullulan is its high cost. A cost effective process for pullulan production may be developed using DOJSC as sole nutrient source which will in turn also help in utilization of the byproduct of bio-diesel industry.In the present study, DOJSC has been used as a nutrient for production of pullulan, in place of conventional nutrients like yeast extract and peptone. Process optimization was done in shake flasks, and under optimized conditions (8% DOJSC, 15% dextrose, 28°C temperature, 200 rpm, 5% inoculum, 6.0 pH) 83.98 g/L pullulan was obtained. The process was further validated in a 5 L laboratory scale fermenter.This is the first report of using DOJSC as nutrient for production of an exopolysaccharide. Successful use of DOJSC as nutrient will help in finding significant application of this toxic byproduct of biodiesel industry. This in turn also have a significant impact on cost reduction and may lead to development of a cost effective green technology for pullulan production.Fossil fuels especially, fuels and commodities obtained from petroleum derived liquids play an important part in almost every aspect of our modern life. However, over exploitation of these natural resources to maintain modern amenities has caused negative ramifications on environmental as well as economical aspects of our life. Due to the limited nature of fossil fuels, their prices are expected to increase more rapidly in the near future [1]. Therefore, to reduce the use of fossil fuels there is a compelling need to search alternative sources of energy. Production of fuels and chemicals from renewable biomass is becoming increasingly attractive and will be essential for our future and sustainability [2]. In recent years, Jatropha curcas L. has gained considerable attention as a potential source of bi