ANAEROBIC DEGRADATION OF PECTIN BY MIXED CONSORTIA AND OPTIMIZATION OF FERMENTATION PARAMETERS FOR HIGHER PECTINASE ACTIVITY

Samples from biogas digesters, sewage ponds, animal house effluents an d food processing wastes were used in enrichment systems seeking anaer obic bacteria producing pectinases. Among the 46 anaerobic consortia d eveloped from various samples, four showed high pectinase activity und er static anaerobic conditions. Investigation of fermentation variable s showed the optimum conditions for pectinase activity were pH 7.0, 45 degrees C and 72 h of growth with 0.5% pectin in the cultivation medi um. A 1.4- to 1.6-fold increase in the pectinase activity was achieved under these conditions. The maximum yield of enzymes (62.72 U ml(-1) of pectinase, 4.74 U ml(-1) of polygalacturonase, 113.30 U ml(-1) of p ectin lyase, 2.10 U ml(-1) of pectinesterase, 0.75 U ml(-1) of total c ellulase and 9.27 U ml(-1) of xylanase) was recorded with the consorti a C-S2 developed from decomposed plant samples collected from a pond.