(17c) Pectinase Production By Aspergillus Niger in Submerged Cultivation Using Statistical Optimization Approach

Pectinase enzymes (EC 3.2.1.15) is responsible for the hydrolysis of pectic biopolymers into monoglacturonic acid units. Pectinase has a wide range of application as an industrial microbial enzyme, mainly in food industries; food processing, juice clarification, wine production, textile, tea, coffee and oil extraction industries. The current work aims at optimizing production medium using statistical design optimization approaches to increase pectinase production. Results showed that statistical medium optimization using Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnekn approaches increased maximal enzyme production by about 2.8-folds from the initial un-optimized production medium. Furthermore, enzyme production process was transferred into 16-L stirred tank bioreactor for evaluating scaling up conditions. Results showed that controlling bioreactor cultivation pH at 5.5 increased pectinase production up to 109.63 U/mL (10% higher than the uncontrolled pH cultivation). Furthermore, feeding sucrose at a rate of 2 g/L/h increased enzyme production led to the maximal production of 450 U/mL in fed-batch bioreactor cultivation (4.1-folds increase in volumetric productivity than the batch bioreactor culture. Concluding, bioreactor fed-batch cultivation using constant carbon source feeding increased maximal volumetric enzyme production by about 16.5-folds from the initial starting conditions.