The Effect of Environmental parameters on Vitamin B2 Production from Hydrocarbons by Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112

The fungus Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 was tested for its ability to grow on crude oil from the petroleum industry. The potential of Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 to utilize the hydrocarbons in the crude oil and produce Vitamin B2 was measured. The fungus exhibited a growth rate of 0.251 per day in the media containing the crude oil. A maximum Vitamin B2 concentration of 143.75 μg/ml was obtained when Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 was incubated in medium containing the crude oil for 20 days. An initial pH value of 5.0 was found to be the optimum for the growth of Aspergillus awamori NRRL 3112 and for Vitamin B2 production. Increased temperatures were found to decrease the Vitamin B2 yields.