a) Inulinases are a group of important, valuable enzymes used to produce high fructose syrup and fructooligosaccharides. More cost-effective production of inulinases is by solid-state fermentation (SSF) of inulin-rich raw materials, for instance, agro-industrial residues sugarcane bagasse, soybean bran, and wheat bran by filamentous fungi, Aspergillus sp. or Penicillium species fungi. i. Justify the suitability of using fungi in a SSF process to produce inulinases from agro- industrial residues.

ii. Recommend a suitable statistical optimization method to identify the best SSF condition to obtain a high titer of inulinases from soybean bran as the substrate. Justify your choice. (2 marks) iii. Recommend four (4) SSF parameters for optimization and justify their effects to improve the process.

b) Industrial processes tend to employ thermally stable enzymes to catalyze certain manufacturing reactions. Typically, thermostable enzymes have certain metal ions in the core of their protein. i. List two (2) metal ions found in such enzymes. (2 marks) ii. Justify the need for metal ions in the protein core of thermally stable enzymes. (4 marks)