D. Satyanarayana et Pr. Chatterji, STUDIES ON THE ENZYMATIC AND FUNGAL DEGRADATION OF CROSS-LINKED GELATIN AND ITS GRAFT-COPOLYMERS, Journal of environmental polymer degradation, 3(3), 1995, pp. 177-186
Glutaraldehyde cross-linked gelatin was graft copolymerized with acryl
ic acid, acrylamide, vinyl acetate, methyl acrylate, and methyl methac
rylate either individually or in combination. The enzymatic and fungal
degradation of these graft copolymers with trypsin, pepsin, and mixed
cultures of Aspergillus niger, Penicillium ochrochloron, Penicillium
funiculosum, and Trichoderma viride was studied for short and extended
periods. The weight loss suffered by the samples, the weight of bioma
ss formed, the nitrogen content, and the pH of the culture medium were
determined. With the help of these data, the extent of utilization of
graft copolymers by fungi as a sole source of carbon was estimated. T
he samples with less than 100% grafting and with a ratio of polymethyl
methacrylate content (L) to polyacrylic acid (H) content (L/H values)
lower than 1.0 were readily and extensively degraded.