Production Of Cellulase By <i>Penicillium hordei</i> And Pectinase By Aspergillus Ustus Under Solid State Fermentation Conditions

Abstract

Present work aimed to investigate the celluloytic and pectinolytic fungi from some Egyptian soil. For this purpose five fungal isolates were isolated, purified and screened for their enzymatic productivities qualitatively and quantitatively. Two fungal isolates showed the highest enzymes productivities were identified as Pencillium hordei \"cellulase producer\", while the other as Asprgillus ustus \"pectinase producer\". These two fungi were submitted for further work involving the evaluation of the nutritional & environmental factors affecting cellulase and pectinase production under solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions, revealed that maximum cellulase production (317.54 μg/ml) by Penicillium hordei was attained by using 6 gm (w/flask) dry wheat straw as solid nature substrate, after 10 days incubation period at 30°C with 6 ml inoculum suspension (2.5 x 10^–6¬ S.F.U) at pH 5 using conical flasks of 500 ml capacity. However Aspergillus ustus gave maximum pectinase yield (2250 μg/ml) in presence of 6 gm (w/flask) dry citrus hull as solid nature substrate, after 15 days incubation period at 35°C, by 6ml inoculum suspension (2.5 x 10^–6 S.F.U) at pH 5.5 using conical flasks 500 ml capacity.

New Egyptian Journal of Microbiology Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 169-181