bio.fsm.undip.ac.id. Carbon source is a major cost factor in yeast cultivation media. Costs that are too high are feared to have an impact on biodiesel production on an industrial scale later. Therefore, the exploration of cheap carbon sources is needed to produce economical lipids for biodiesel, such as from sorghum juice. This is an important consideration for Mauritz Nicolaas Wattimena to conduct final project research in biology S1. The research of biology students who are more familiarly called Mauritz or Nico aims to identify, analyze, and determine the composition of sorghum juice which can be used as a medium for biodiesel production by oleaginous yeast Candida orthopsilosis InaCC Y-302 and Candida oleophila INACC Y-306.
With the capital spirit of research and hard work that has been dedicated, Mauritz was finally able to reveal an increase in the ability of lipid accumulation for biodiesel from both strains of yeast cultured on a medium composed of glucose carbon source with the addition of sorghum juice compared to those only cultured on a medium composed of glucose only.
Mauritz’s research was submitted as part of the final project and has been accounted for academically through a undergraduate thesis defense on April 12, 2023. With a team of final examiners, namely Dr. Drs. Wijanarka, M.Si., Prof. Dr. I Made Sudiana, M.Sc. from the Research Center for Applied Microbiology BRIN, and Chief Examiner Dr. Dra. Endang Kusdiyantini, DEA, Mauritz has received many suggestions and inputs on his research.
Through his final assignment, Mauritz hopes that in the future his research can provide development opportunities, further study materials, as well as a foothold and reference for researchers and related industry players in optimizing the use of sorghum juice as an alternative biodiesel production medium by oleaginous yeast.
Congratulations and success to Mauritz Nicolaas Wattimena who has successfully passed a series of learning processes in the S1 Biology study Program, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Diponegoro University. Hopefully his knowledge is useful and contributes to advancing the development of science and technology in this country.
