Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae MTCC 7162, isolated from tannery effluent was used for the production of extracellular tannase. Central composite design (for nutritional parameters) and Box Behnken design (for physicochemical parameters) were used to arrive at conditions for maximal tannase production. Box Behnken design was statistically significant and indicated that pH is a significant factor for tannase production. A 6.5 fold increase of extra cellular tannase (22.7 U / ml) production was observed at the optimized conditions. The yield of extra cellular tannase obtained in this study, from a bacterial source, is the highest compared to that of the earlier reports.

Key words: Klebsiella pneumoniae, extra cellular tannase, central composite design, Box Behnken design, response surface methodology.