A solid-state bioprocess for selecting lipase-producing filamentous fungi

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Enzyme Technology

Background:

• Lipases are crucial enzymes with diverse industrial applications.
• Dairy effluent and contaminated soils are potential sources for novel lipase-producing microorganisms.
• Solid-state bioprocessing offers an efficient method for microbial enzyme production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize filamentous fungi with lipase activity from environmental samples.
• To evaluate the lipase production potential of isolated fungal strains using wheat bran and rice husk.
• To identify the most potent lipase-producing fungal isolates for further biotechnological applications.

Main Methods:

• Solid-state bioprocessing utilizing wheat bran and rice husk as substrates.
• Isolation of filamentous fungi from dairy effluent and diesel oil-contaminated soil.
• Quantification of lipase activity using a standard unit definition (1 U = 1 micromol min(-1) g(-1)).

Main Results:

• Twenty-four fungal isolates exhibiting lipase activity were obtained.
• Seventeen isolates originated from dairy effluent, and seven from diesel oil-contaminated soil.
• Aspergillus E-6 (from dairy effluent) and Aspergillus O-4 (from soil) demonstrated the highest lipase activities (49.81 U and 45.49 U, respectively).
• Maximum lipase activity for both top producers was observed eight days post-bioprocess initiation.

Conclusions:

• Environmental sources like dairy effluent and diesel oil-contaminated soil harbor promising lipase-producing filamentous fungi.
• Aspergillus species E-6 and O-4 are identified as highly efficient lipase producers.
• The solid-state bioprocess using agricultural by-products is effective for isolating and cultivating lipase-producing fungi.