Study of bikaverin extraction from rice-based medium fermented by Fusarium oxysporum CCT7620
Bikaverin is a reddish biopigment produced by different species of fungi, many of them of the genus Fusarium ssp, possessing biological properties, such as antitumor, antiprotozoal, antibiotic and antifungal. This study aimed to study the extraction conditions of bikaverin produced by Fusarium oxysporum CCT7620. After 96h fermentation (200rpm / 30ºC) in rice broth (50g/L of rice in water), the fungal biomass was recovered and extracted with 9 solvents of different polarities. The results showed that the most appropriate solvent was ethyl acetate. Extraction kinetics were then conducted by mixing biomass with ethyl acetate (proportion 1: 1) under stirring conditions 200rpm for up to 52h and the absorbance of the organic phase was monitored periodically. The results indicated that saturation was reached after 4h20min of extraction. Finally, ten sequential 4h20min extractions were performed, changing the organic phase after each stage. The results revealed that the best cost-benefit for both practical and economical aspects was achieved for three sequential extractions. Therefore, the ideal conditions to recover bikaverin produced by F. oxysporum in rice medium consists of three sequential extractions (4h20min each) using a proportion of one part of ethyl acetate per part of biomass this process will be important to supply bikaverin for further studies on the purification and analysis of the biological properties of such molecule.