CONCENTRATION AND PURIFICATION OF BETA-GLUCOSIDASE FROM ASPERGILLUS-NIGER BY USING AQUEOUS 2-PHASE PARTITIONING

The extracellular enzyme beta-glucosidase, present in a culture filtra te and produced by Aspergillus niger, was concentrated up to 700 times by two-phase partitioning. The two-phase systems were achieved by dis solving dextran and poly(ethylene glycol) in the culture filtrate in s uch proportions that the lower phase, containing the enzyme, consisted of a very small volume compared with the upper phase. The enzyme had high affinity for the lower phase when the system contained 100 mM KSC N at pH 8.0, and the recoveries of beta-glucosidase were in the range of 85-95% with a concentrating factor of 60-720 times. At the same tim e, the enzyme was purified 2-3 times. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.