Isolation of Potential Extracellular Hydrolytic Enzymes producing Fungi from Western Ghats, Karnataka

Abstract

Enzymes are major components of biological soil processes, such as the degradation of organic compounds, their mineralization and the liberation or recycling of nutrients. The activity of hydrolytic enzymes directly affects the rates of transformation of soil biopolymers into compounds that are accessible for microorganisms and plants. Fungi are a potential source for producing such stable hydrolytic enzymes. In the present study, hydrolytic enzyme producing fungi were isolated from soil samples of Western Ghats, Karnataka, India. The fungal isolates were screened for protease activity and 22 isolates tested positive using skim milk agar plates. Protease production by solid-state fermentation was carried out using wheat bran as a substrate for a period of 8 days at 30°C. Three protease producing fungal isolates were also able to produce amylase and cellulase enzymes. The P. camemberti maximum amylase activity of 2.77U/ML and protease activity of 0.41U/mL. Penicillium brevicompactum show a maximum cellulase activity of 2.38U/mL.