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Protease production by different thermophilic fungi

Mariana M Macchione1, Carolina W Merheb, Eleni Gomes

  • 1Laboratório de Bioquímica e Microbiologia Aplicada, Instituto de Biociências Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
|April 19, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) using wheat bran yielded the best protease production from thermophilic fungi. Certain fungal strains showed superior enzyme secretion in SSF and submerged fermentation (SmF).

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biotechnology
  • Enzyme Technology

Background:

  • Proteases are crucial enzymes with diverse industrial applications.
  • Thermophilic fungi are promising sources of thermostable proteases.
  • Optimizing fermentation conditions is key to maximizing enzyme yield.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare protease production by nine thermophilic fungi using solid-state fermentation (SSF) and submerged fermentation (SmF).
  • To identify optimal substrates and fermentation methods for enhanced protease secretion.
  • To evaluate the proteolytic activity of selected fungal strains.

Main Methods:

  • Cultivation of nine thermophilic fungal strains: Thermoascus aurantiacus, Thermomyces lanuginosus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus sp., and Rhizomucor sp.
  • Fermentation conducted in SSF and SmF using various protein-rich substrates: soybean extract, soybean flour, milk powder, rice, and wheat bran.
  • Quantification of protease production and proteolytic activity.

Main Results:

  • Wheat bran as a substrate in SSF yielded the most satisfactory protease production.
  • High protease production in SSF was observed for T. lanuginosus, T. lanuginosus TO.03, Aspergillus sp. 13.34, Aspergillus sp. 13.35, and Rhizomucor sp. 13.37.
  • T. aurantiacus, T. lanuginosus TO.03, and Rhizomucor sp. 13.37 showed notable protease production in SmF.
  • Aspergillus flavus 1.2 and Rhizomucor pusillus 13.36 exhibited the lowest proteolytic activity in both systems.

Conclusions:

  • Solid-state fermentation with wheat bran is a highly effective method for producing proteases from thermophilic fungi.
  • Specific thermophilic fungal strains demonstrate differential protease production capabilities depending on the fermentation system and substrate.
  • The study identifies promising fungal candidates for industrial protease applications.

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