Transforming Agro-Industrial Wastes Into Nutrient-Rich Media for Actinomycetes Cultivation

Agricultural by-products and staple crops hold significant potential as alternative sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds for food and industrial applications. Rice husks, corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse, and starch are of particular interest due to their abundant availability and versatility. This study aimed to transform agro-industrial wastes into nutrient-rich media for actinomycetes cultivation. Agro-industrial waste which included Rice husks, corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse, and starch were sourced from Ado and Ikere Ekiti. This were pretreated and sterilized and used to formulate the medium for the growth of actinomycetes. Cultural characteristics of the actinomycetes were studied and compared to that obtained on starch casein agar. Standard analytical procedures were employed to determine the moisture, fat, protein, ash, crude fiber, and carbohydrate contents, as well as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and phosphorus concentrations. Results revealed that actinomycetes growth was noticed on each of the formulated media after seven days of incubation. Also, similar cultural characteristics of the actinomycetes were observed on the formulated and synthetic media. Proximate analysis revealed that rice husk had high carbohydrate (54.27%) and fiber content (18.97%), while starch was predominantly composed of carbohydrates (81.77%). Sugarcane bagasse exhibited significant carbohydrate content (74.13%) and fiber (9.94%), while corn cob was rich in fiber (28.58%) and protein (3.78%). Mineral analysis showed that sugarcane had the highest phosphorus (1007.25 mg/100g) and calcium (412.80 mg/100g) contents, while corn cob was rich in iron (373.75 mg/100g) and zinc (5.62 mg/100g). These results highlight the nutritional and mineral richness of these samples, suggesting their potential as valuable raw materials in food, feed, and industrial applications. Further studies should explore processing methods to enhance their usability while addressing any anti-nutritional factors.