Optimization of Culture Conditions for the Production of Polygalacturonase by Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Aspergillus fumigatus

In the present study Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Aspergillus fumigatus were screened for polygalacturonase production. The strains were grown in submerged fermentation and the most important physical parameters such as temperature and pH were optimized. The optimum temperature for maximum enzyme production was found to be 50 and 40 ºC for P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus, respectively. An optimum pH of 4.5 and 5.0 was recorded for P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus, respectively. Under optimum condition the strain P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus produced 1850 and 3218 units of enzyme per litre of culture broth, respectively. The polygalacturonase enzyme from the culture filtrates of both P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus was purified to homogeneity. The purified fraction of polygalacturonase from P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus was observed as single band. The molecular weights of purified enzyme from P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus were 53 and 63 KDa, respectively. Overall the specific activities of polygalacturonases from P. chrysosporium and A. fumigatus were increased to 23.49 and 20.94 with a yield of 24.34 and 25.35, respectively.