Background: Sugarcane bagasse was shown to be an adequate substrate for the growth and aroma production by Trichoderma species. In the present work the ability of Trichoderma viride EMCC-107 to produce high yield of coconut aroma in solid state fermentation (SSF) by using sugarcane bagasse as solid substrate was evaluated. The produced aroma was characterized.

Results: Total carbohydrates comprised the highest content (43.9% w/w) compared with the other constituents in sugarcane bagasse. The sensory and gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis revealed that the highest odour intensity and maximum yield of volatiles were perceived at the 5^th d of induction period. The unsaturated lactone, 6-Pentyl-α-pyrone (6-PP), was the major identified volatile compound. Saturated lactones, δ-octalactone, γ-nonalactone, γ-undecalactone, γ-dodecalactone and δ-dodecalactone, were also identified in the coconut aroma produced during the induction period (12 d). A quite correlation was found between the composition and odour profile of the produced aroma. The effect of varying the concentration of sugarcane bagasse on 6-PP production and biomass growth was evaluated. The results revealed high 6-PP production at 4.5 g sugarcane bagasse whereas the biomass showed significant (P < 0.05) increase by increasing the concentration of sugarcane bagasse.

Conclusion: The concentration of 6-PP, the most contribution of coconut aroma, produced in present study (3.62 mg/g DM) was higher than that reported in previous studies conducted under the same fermentation conditions. The significant increase in biomass with increasing the concentration of sugarcane bagasse may be attributed to the increase in sugar content that acts as carbon and energy source.