Agricultural and Biological Research

Partial purification and characterisation of pectinase produced by Aspergillus niger grown on orange peels as a substrate

Anuradha Rohinkar, Nitiksha Jadav and Inampudi Sailaja*

An enzyme with several industrial and commercial uses is pectinase. The general use of pectinase may be severely limited, nevertheless by greater production costs. Hence, employing a distinct substrate and refining the components of the fermentation medium and process conditions, researchers are working to lower the cost of pectinase production for eventual application in industrial operations. The major goal of the current work was to improve the medium composition for Aspergillus niger-based solid-state fermentation to produce pectinase. Citrus pulp’s pectin can be hydrolyzed by pectinases in citrus waste bio refineries to create galacturonic acid, a potential platform chemical. The pectinase enzyme was produced by Aspergillus niger grown on orange peel as a sole carbon source under solid state and liquid fermentation. The purification process begins with the concentration of crude enzyme using Ammonium sulfate precipitation. The optimal temperature and pH were 50°C and 8 respectively. The maximum production of pectinase in the presence of cheaper substrate at very low concentration makes the enzyme useful in industrial sector for juice and jams, jelly and textile.