In this study, different concentrations of the inducer (pectin) and the carbon source (glucose) were evaluated as components of the culture medium for the production of pectinases by Aspergillus niger. Furthermore, it evaluated the stability of the enzymes produced with respect to the temperature and the enzyme extract produced was tested for the clarification of strawberry juice. The highest pectinolytic activity (68 U/g) was obtained at a concentration of 6% (w/w) of pectin in the absence of glucose in the medium. Pectinases activity has shown high stability at 20 • C and 30 • C while a gradual decrease of activity was observed when the temperature rose. A reduction of about 50% of the total pectinases activity was measured at 50 • C after 60 min of exposure. The experimental enzymatic extract was compared with a high-quality commercial product for the clarification of strawberry juice. Similar data were obtained for turbidity and viscosity reduction. The enzymatic treatment led to a reduction of about 60% in the turbidity and 40% in the viscosity of the juice. After the enzymatic treatment, the total phenolic compounds, total anthocyanins, and antioxidant activity were preserved. The results obtained in the present work indicate the potential of the enzymes produced for using in fruit processing.Beverages 2018, 4, 48 2 of 10 Aspergillus niger. Teixeira et al. [7] described a repression of endo-PG and exo-PG production in Aspergillus japonicus when concentrations of glucose, pectin, and sucrose were above certain levels.A. niger pectinases are the most widely used in industries because these species have the GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status so that the metabolites produced by this strain can be safely used [8].Considering the promising opportunities that this species might offer to the food industry, the present study was carried out to assess the production of pectinases by A. niger LB-02-SF in experiments carried out with different pectin and glucose concentrations. Furthermore, the stability of these enzymes was evaluated at temperatures from 20 • C to 70 • C and the enzymatic extract was evaluated for treating strawberry juice.
Materials and Methods
MicroorganismA. niger LB-02-SF from the culture collection of the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Caxias do Sul (Brazil) was used in the experiments. The strain was propagated in glycerin agar medium and incubated at 30 • C for five days. After this period, the sporulated cultures were stored at 4 • C or used for the inoculation of culture media.