Utilization of orange peels for the production of multienzyme complexes by some fungal strains

The production of multienzyme preparations containing pectinase, cellulase and xylanase enzymes was investigated using six fungal isolates grown on orange peels as the sole carbon source. Of the fungal isolates rested, Aspergillus niger A-20 proved to be the most potent and produced highly active multienzyme systems after 5 days in shaken cultures. These preparations included active induced pectinase, cellulase and xylanase enzymes with insignificant levels of amylase and lipase activities. This suggests potential uses in the extraction of the major components (starches and lipids) of plant materials. The optimum conditions for the activities of this enzyme complex were pH 4.0-5.0 and temperature 45-50 degrees C. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd