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Screening of pectinase-producing microorganisms with polygalacturonase activity
Jamile Zeni1, Karine Cence, Camila Elis Grando
1Department of Food Engineering, URI-Campus de Erechim, Av. Sete de Setembro 1621, Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
|July 30, 2010
Summary
Researchers screened 107 microorganisms for polygalacturonases (PG) production from agro-industrial waste. Several strains, including Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp., showed high PG activity, confirming their potential for enzyme production.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Enzyme Technology
- Microbial Fermentation
Background:
- Agro-industrial waste valorization is crucial for sustainable practices.
- Polygalacturonases (PG) are essential enzymes with diverse industrial applications.
- Efficient microbial sources for PG production are continuously sought.
Purpose of the Study:
- To screen and identify microorganisms capable of producing polygalacturonases (PG) from agro-industrial waste.
- To evaluate and quantify the PG production capabilities of selected microbial strains.
- To confirm the genetic diversity of high-performing PG-producing strains.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 107 microbial strains (92 newly isolated, 15 pre-identified) from agro-industrial waste.
- Quantification of polygalacturonase activity using enzyme assays (U/mL).
- Fermentation optimization and kinetic studies.
- Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis for strain differentiation.
Main Results:
- 20 out of 107 strains exhibited PG activity exceeding 3 U/mL.
- Aspergillus niger ATCC 9642 and isolated Penicillium sp. strains (W23, W43, D2) showed high PG activities (30-45 U/mL) after 24h fermentation.
- Enzyme activity was enhanced up to 13-fold through kinetic studies.
- RAPD analysis confirmed the genetic distinctness of the selected high-producing strains.
Conclusions:
- Several microbial strains, particularly Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp., are effective producers of polygalacturonases.
- The identified strains hold significant potential for industrial-scale PG production.
- The study successfully identified and validated diverse microbial resources for enzyme biotechnology.
