PRODUCTION OF BETA-1,3-GLUCANASE FROM TRICHODERMA-HARZIANUM IN SURFACE AND SUBMERGED CULTURE PROCESSES AND ITS ROLE ON PROTOPLAST GENERATION FROM TRICHODERMA-REESEI-MYCELIUM

Surface and submerged culture studies were carried out for the product ion of extracellular beta-1,3-glucanase and carboxymethylcellulase fro m Trichoderma harzianum, NCIM 1185. The different parameters which inf luence the enzyme production, viz., spore age in the slant growth, see d age, and pH (initial) of the production medium have been optimized. The ranges of these parameters studied were: Spore age of T. harzianum between 2 and lo days, seed age between 12 h and 48 h, and pH (initia l) between 3 and 7. The other conditions of fermentation were: Tempera ture 30-degrees-C, gyratory shaker speed 160 rev. min-1. It was observ ed that the activities of beta-1,3-glucanase and carboxymethylcellulas e varied during the entire fermentation cycle which had a distinct eff ect on protoplast generation from T. reesei mycelium. The optimum valu es of the above-mentioned parameters for lytic enzymes production were : Spore age of T. harzianum in the slant growth 5 days, seed age 36 h, and pH (initial) 5.0 for both surface and submerged culture processes .