Influence of Culture Media and Fermentation Conditions on Growth, Sporulation, and Biomass Production of Fusarium venenatum CML3311.

The increasing demand for alternative protein sources has stimulated interest in fungal biomass as a food ingredient. Although industrial strains of Fusarium venenatum have been extensively investigated, strain-specific information on conidial production, biomass accumulation, and crude protein content remains limited for strains maintained in microbial culture collections. This study evaluated the growth and sporulation of F. venenatum CML3311 in different solid media and investigated biomass and crude protein production under submerged fermentation conditions. Growth and sporulation were assessed on Yeast Malt Agar (YMA), Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar (DRBC), Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Submerged fermentations were conducted using a 32 factorial design evaluating temperature (26-30 °C) and agitation (160-200 rpm) over 72 h. Biomass production was determined gravimetrically, and crude protein content was quantified by the Kjeldahl method. DRBC promoted the highest sporulation, reaching 4.63 × 106 conidia/mL after 28 days. Biomass production increased during the first 48 h of cultivation, with the highest yields observed at 28-30 °C (6.4-6.5 g/L). Crude protein content ranged from 25.45% to 56.12% (dry basis), with the highest value obtained after 24 h at 28 °C and 200 rpm. These findings provide a strain-specific basis for inoculum preparation and submerged cultivation of F. venenatum CML3311 and identify conditions to be further investigated in process-optimization and safety-assessment studies.