Comparative study of pectinase production by Enterobacter aerogenes NBO2 in a shake flask and 5-L stirred tank fermenter
Nisha Magalinggam, and Darah Ibrahim
Industrial Biotechnology Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.*corresponding author email: nisham145@yahoo.com
Abstract
Pectinases are one of the most widely distributed enzymes in bacteria, fungi and plants. Pectinase production occupies about 10% of the overall manufacturing of enzyme preparations. They are widely used in the food industry mainly for juice and wine production. The extensive application of pectinases in industries requires its production in a large scale. In order to produce enzyme in a large-scale for industrial application, various types of bioreactors can be used. One of the common fermenters used for enzyme production in submerged fermentation is a stirred-tank fermenter. It is suitable for industrial applications as it is low in both capital and operating costs. This study was conducted to compare the pectinase production in shake flask and stirred tank fermenter. Scaling up of pectinase production was carried out in a 5-L stirred tank fermenter by cultivating Enterobacter aerogenes NBO2 in 2L of medium. Enterobacter aerogenes NBO2 produced 18.539 U/ml of pectinase enzyme in 24 hours shake flask fermentation after the improvement of physiochemical conditions. After the enhancement of physical parameters, fermentation in a 5-L stirred tank fermenter increased the enzyme production about 2-fold higher than that attained in shake flask cultures. After 28 hours of cultivation, pectinase enzyme activity was 41.3 U/ml which shows 55% increment in enzyme production.
Key words: Pectinase, shake flask, large scale, stirred tank fermenter