Optimization of Exo-Polygalacturonase Production From Orange Peel by Aspergillus Sojae

Abstract

Pectinases catalyze the degradation of pectic substances, thus they are used extensively in fruit juice and wine industry to facil-itate extraction and clarification. Aspergillus species, in particular Aspergillus niger, have long been utilized for production of pectinases. Previous studies of our group showed that A. sojae has a potential to produce enhanced amount of polygalacturonase, which is one of the pectic enzymes, in both submerged and solid-state cultures (Gogus et al., 2006; Tari et al., 2007). In this study, several agricultural products were screened in an effort to find a cheap and abundant substrate for submerged polygalacturonase production using a UV-mutated A. sojae strain. Medium composition was optimized to further enhance the enzyme level. Experiments were designed and analyzed statistically using the trial version of the statistical software, Design Expert.