2.3.4. Solid-State Fermentation (SSF): Fermentation Conditions

For both inocula, the cultures were grown for 3, 5, 7, and 10 days. After fermentation, each SSF was resuspended in 10 mL of previously sterilized physiological solution and left

to stir at 100 rpm, RT for 2 h. One milliliter of suspension was then withdrawn, and the final microbial load (expressed in CFU/mL) was quantified by carrying out serial dilutions and seeding 0.1 mL of each one on PDA plates. Petri dishes were incubated for 4 days at 28 ◦C and then counted to establish the final microbial load. For the fermentation that provided the best microbial load, a subsequent drying step was carried out bringing the temperature to 45 ◦C for 48 h. All tests were carried out in triplicate for statistical significance. The relative standard deviation value for statistical analysis was also reported.
