Isolation and Identification of Pectinase Producing Fungus and Enzyme Quantification

Pavani Sure¹, Pratyusha Evangelin Nallapu^2
1Assistant Professor^, Department of Pharmaceutics, Vignan Institute of pharmaceutical Sciences, Deshmukhi, Hyderabad.
²Department of Pharmaceutics, Vignan Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Deshmukhi, Hyderabad

A B S T R A C T
Naturally occurring polysaccharide pectin, the methylated ester of polygalacturonic acid, is very important in both scientific and commercial world due to its biodegradability. A large group of pectinase enzymes causing breakdown of pectin polysaccharides of plants and fruit are used in industrial sector to increase the yield and clarity of fruit juices. In this study, a fungal strain was isolated using PSA Medium from the peel of rotten oranges. Isolated fungal strain was identified based on staining and biochemical tests. The fungus was found to be Aspergillusniger due to its spore and head structure. Pectinase enzyme was produced by Liquid State Fermentation. A light grey coloured mat is observed on the liquid broth (production medium) after 8 days of inoculation, this indicates the release of pectinase enzyme. The obtained Pectinase enzyme is purified by salt precipitation and dialysis. Pectinesterase activity can be done by performing the titration of sample using phenolphthalene indicator. One enzymatic unit (U) was defined as the quantity of enzyme which liberates 1 microequivalent of carboxylic group in 1 h of reaction. The enzymatic activity was expressed in U/g. It was calculated and found to be 0.043µmol/min/mg. So the isolated fungal strain is efficient and has potential to be implicated commercially to increase the clarity and quality of fruit juices.
Keywords: Pectinase, liquid state fermentation, Pectinesterase activity