Abstract

Five filamentous fungi (Aspergillus clavatus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium sp.,Penicillum chrysogenum and Trichoderma sp.) isolated from agrowaste samples in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria, depolymerized citrus pectin. Best pectolytic activity, as indicated by the diameter of clear, hydrolyzed zones on the medium plates containing commercial citrus pectin as sole carbon source, was obtained with A. niger, closely followed by P. chrysogenum. The two fungi also produced pectinases with different agrowastes (pineapple peel, orange peels, sawdust, sugarcane pulps and wheat bran) as the sole carbon source. The highest pectinase activity by both fungi was produce with wheat bran as the sole carbon source. Peak pectinase activity of 350.28 ± 2.82 and 478.25 ± 3.04 IU mg^-1 protein was respectively obtained by submerged fermentation (SmF) at 48 h for A. niger and P.chrysogenum in media containing wheat bran as the sole carbon source. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) yielded higher levels of pectinase activity than the SmF. The strains of A. niger and P. chrysogenumhave good prospect for pectinase production. Wheat bran is a good low-cost fermentation substrate for pectinase production by the investigated fungi.

Key words: Filamentous fungi, agro-wastes, pectinolytic activity, fermentation, pectinase production.