Agro-waste as a substrate for the production of pullulanase by Penicillium viridicatum under solid-state fermentation

Abstract

One of the key enzymes utilized in the food industry is pullulanase. But its major drawbacks are its low yield and high production costs. In this regard, the current research aims to screen agro-waste substrates for optimal pullulanase production in solid-state fermentation. Of various agro-wastes used as a substrate, the maximum enzymic activity (9.74 U/gds) was observed in a medium based on 5 g of green gram husk and incubated for 3 days at 30 °C. The effects of 16 different nutrients on the yield of pullulanase production were studied using the Plackett–Burman experimental design. The incorporation of FeSO4, MnSO4, and MgSO4 into the pullulanase production medium significantly increased the yield and showed a 5.7-fold increase (56.25 U/gds) in comparison with the unoptimized media. The Box-Behnken experimental design was used to study the effect of interactions between Fe2+, Mg2+, and Mn2+ on the production of pullulanase. Box-Behnken showed a 1.1-fold increase (62.1 U/gds) in pullulanase production. The total increase in yield after all optimization was 6.37-fold. The present study reports for the first time the applicability of green gram husk as a potent substrate for pullulanase production by Penicillium viridicatum.

Research progress of bio-slurry remediation technology for organic contaminated soil

“…13 In food processing, Kumar et al used the fermentation of Penicillium viridans in agricultural waste substrates to efficiently and economically produced pullulanase by fermenting Penicillium viridicatum in agricultural waste substrates and successfully used it in the food industry. 14 Bio-slurry remediation technology can consider both energy consumption and duration. Still, the limitations of this technology are that the availability of microorganisms is low, and the remediation process is difficult to intervene.…”

“… 13 In food processing, Kumar et al used the fermentation of Penicillium viridans in agricultural waste substrates to efficiently and economically produced pullulanase by fermenting Penicillium viridicatum in agricultural waste substrates and successfully used it in the food industry. 14 …”