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Abstract
Enzymes are biological catalysts that regulate specific biologicak reactions. Pectinase is an essential industrial enzyme widely utilized in food processing, textile, and paper industries due to its ability to degrade pectin and enhance product quality. Microorganisms like Aspergillus spp have been used in the commercial production of this industrially important enzyme.This study aimed to investigate the production of pectinase using Aspergillus spp isolated from soil samples
under submerged fermentation conditions. Aspergillus species were isolated from a total of five (5) soil samples gotten from dump sites within the University of Benin and the village of Ekosodin, after all the samples were serially diluted and inoculated on Potato dextrose agar (PDA) using the pour plate technique. Pure cultures were obtained and the fungal isolates were identified based on cultural and morphological characteristics then screening was carried out, for selecting species that are capable of producing amylase on a commercial scale. The results were based on the mean counts of the fungi isolates which ranged from 13±1.00 ×10³cfu/g to 37±1.00 ×10³ cfu/g representing the lowest and highest mean counts obtained respectively, percentage frequency of the fungi isolates showing the various fungi isolated which include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tarmari, Mucor, Penicillium Chrysogenum, Penicillium spp and Fusarium of which Aspergillus niger has the highest percentage of occurrence(35), morphological description, optical density of which 0.09±0.0005 and 0.314±0.005 represents the lowest and highest values respectively.In conclusion, the results from this study shows that Aspergillus species were predominant in the soil and can be readily isolated and applied industrially in the production of the enzyme pectinase
under submerged fermentation conditions. Aspergillus species were isolated from a total of five (5) soil samples gotten from dump sites within the University of Benin and the village of Ekosodin, after all the samples were serially diluted and inoculated on Potato dextrose agar (PDA) using the pour plate technique. Pure cultures were obtained and the fungal isolates were identified based on cultural and morphological characteristics then screening was carried out, for selecting species that are capable of producing amylase on a commercial scale. The results were based on the mean counts of the fungi isolates which ranged from 13±1.00 ×10³cfu/g to 37±1.00 ×10³ cfu/g representing the lowest and highest mean counts obtained respectively, percentage frequency of the fungi isolates showing the various fungi isolated which include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tarmari, Mucor, Penicillium Chrysogenum, Penicillium spp and Fusarium of which Aspergillus niger has the highest percentage of occurrence(35), morphological description, optical density of which 0.09±0.0005 and 0.314±0.005 represents the lowest and highest values respectively.In conclusion, the results from this study shows that Aspergillus species were predominant in the soil and can be readily isolated and applied industrially in the production of the enzyme pectinase
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