ISSN: 0973-7510
E-ISSN: 2581-690X
Microbial pectinases have penetrated the industrial market and have become one of the most promising enzymes recently due to their economical value. In this study, pectinolytic fungi were isolated from rotten ber fruit and screened for pectinolytic activity. The highest potency index (3.25) was observed in the isolate RBF96 compared to the reference strain Aspergillus niger MTCC 1344 (2.99). Based on the potency index and activities of polygalacturonase, pectin lyase and pectin esterase, RBF96 was found to be the most potent isolate and was identified as Aspergillus niger, based on morphological as well as molecular characterization. The process parameters for maximum enzyme production under SSF using citrus peel were optimized. The optimum moisture was found to be 65 per cent. The optimum pH for production of polygalacturonase, pectin lyase and pectin esterase were 4.0, 6.0 and 5.0 respectively. The optimum temperature was 35o C with maximum enzyme activity produced at six days of incubation period.
Rotten ber fruit, Pectinase Potency index, Citrus peel, Solid state fermentation, Aspergillus niger RBF96
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