PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TANNASE ENZYME BY ASPERGILLUS NIGER UNDER SOLID STATE FERMENTATION USING FRUIT PEELINGS (ORANGE AND BANANA PEELS)

Abstract

Tannase (tannin acyl hydrolase) is a hydrolytic enzyme widely used in food and medical industries. Pure tannic acid is currently used for industrial scale production of tannase which is expensive and adds on to the cost of the final product. The present study focuses on utilization of fruit peelings (banana and orange peels) as a cheap substrate for producing tannase through solid state fermentation by using Aspergillus niger. Fermentation parameters like temperature, pH and fermentation period etc were optimized for enzyme production. The maximum yield (23.3U/ml/min) of tannase was obtained by using banana peels substrate at 35^oC, pH 5 and an incubation period of 96 hrs by using Aspergillus niger. After optimization tannase was partially purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation. Partially purified enzyme was characterized by considering the effects of different parameters on enzyme activity. Highest activity of partially purified tannase was found at temperature (35^oC),incubation time (25min),pH (5) and tannic acid concentration (0.7%w/v) with substrate of banana peels .The purified enzyme showed maximum activity at the Vmax of 0.83U/ml and Km of 0.155 g/ml when orange peels was used as a substrate using Aspergillus niger.