Pectinase Production by Using Coffee Pulp Substrate as Carbon and Nitrogen Source

Abstract

About thirty-five percent of coffee pulp waste is pectin. It may potentially be a source to be used in the bioprocessing industry. For example, it can be used as a substrate to produce pectinase from microorganisms under solid-state fermentation (SSF). In this investigation, an isolated fungus VTM4 with density 107 spores/mL was grown on coffee pulp medium-based, and after 0-168 hours incubation at 30 °C, pectinase activity was detected. The activity was measured based on reducing sugar released by crude pectinase against 0.5% alkali extract pectin substrate in 20 mM buffer acetate pH 5. The highest reducing sugar produced was 223.34 µg/mL after 72 hours of incubation at 30 °C. The optimum pH on enzyme activity was 4 with the maximum activity 0.747 U/mL and was stable (more than 80%) at a pH range of 4-5.5. The results revealed that the coffee substrate could be utilized as a carbon and nitrogen source to produce pectinase. Further research on purification and characterization of the enzyme to improve pectinase yield production was needed.