Pectinase Activity Research Articles

Concurrent production of cellulase, xylanase, pectinase and immobilization by combined Cross-linked enzyme aggregate strategy- advancing tri-enzyme biocatalysis

In this study Bacillus sp. isolated from snail droppings displayed ability to coproduce cellulase, xylanase and pectinase by solid state fermentation on citrus peel. The enzymes were immobilized by cross-linking enzyme aggregate (CLEA). Parameters like cross-linking concentration/cross-linking time, pH, thermal stability and reusability were evaluated. Bacillus sp. expressed cellulase (2.563 ± 0.082 U/gds), xylanase (2.253 ± 0.101 U/gds) and pectinase (2.910 ± 0.097 U/gds) activity. Moisture content (75%), pH 5, particle size 348 nm, One (1 mL) mililiter inoculum/nitrogen were best for enzymes production. Optimum aggregation of enzyme complex with glutaraldehyde concentration (50 mM) and cross-linking time 3 h was achieved using three-phase portioning (TPP). Combined-CLEAs expressed thermal stability. Cellulase, xylanase and pectinase, retained 90% of initial activity at 1 h, over 65% after 3 h incubation at 50 °C; optimum activity was pH 6. After 4 cycles combined-CLEAs retained over 80% activity.

Enzymatic Degumming of Banana Fibers by Enterobacter cloacae PMC04 for Fineness Improvisation: An Eco-friendly Approach

ABSTRACT Banana fibers could gruntle the thirst for natural fibers in textile industries. Banana fibers are prominent for eco-friendliness, durability, and biodegradability. Our study demonstrates that Enterobacter cloacae PMC04, isolated from banana waste decomposed soil, could produce pectinolytic enzymes using dried banana pseudostem as solid substrate by fermentation and their application in banana fiber degumming for textile processing. Enterobacter cloacae PMC04 exhibited elevated pectinase activity (177.1901 U/ml) and pectin lyase activity (34.21818 U/ml) with citrus pectin and yeast extract under optimal pH (pH 10.0) and temperature (45°C) conditions. In reconciliation with the obtained results, it is found that pectinase enzyme is suitable for the degumming of banana fibers. The optimized degumming condition of banana fiber was identified to be 55°C, 4 hours and 30% enzymatic dosage. The maximum galacturonide released from the fiber degumming system was recognized to be 0.8121 mmol/ml. The surface morphology, functional group, thermal analysis, and tensile analysis of the enzymatic degummed banana fiber were significant compared to the chemically treated fiber. Based on the studies, it is inferred that enzymatic degumming of banana fiber could be regarded as an alternative approach for feasible application in textile industries

Antifungal activity of thymol against the main fungi causing pomegranate fruit rot by suppressing the activity of cell wall degrading enzymes

Postharvest rot of pomegranate fruits due to fungal infections causes the loss of a significant amount of fruit. In this study, the antifungal effects of thymol on the growth of Aspergillus niger (A. niger) and Penicillium commune (P. commune) were investigated. Molecular sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene was used to identify fungal species. ITS of rDNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequenced and after basic local alignment search, it was registered in GenBank database. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of thymol for both fungi were 250 and 500 μg mL−1, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in A. niger colony showed cell deformation due to destruction of the cell membrane and loss of cell wall strength at 250 μg mL−1 after 168 h. Evaluation of P. commune cell morphology showed that thymol at 250 μg mL−1 caused superficial wrinkles, bifurcation of hyphal apex and no spore production was observed. Thymol suppressed fungal growth by reducing cellulase and pectinase activity. The smallest cellulase and pectinase halo diameter was found at 125 μg mL−1 of thymol. Thymol at 500 μg mL−1 had a similar fungicidal effect compared with thiabendazole (1500 μg mL−1).

Effects of folic acid and riboflavin on growth performance, nutrient digestion and rumen fermentation in Angus bulls.

This study examined the influences of coated folic acid (CFA) and coated riboflavin (CRF) on bull performance, nutrients digestion and ruminal fermentation. Forty-eight Angus bulls based on a randomised block and 2 × 2 factorial design were assigned to four treatments. The CFA of 0 or 6 mg of folic acid/kg DM was supplemented in diets with CRF 0 or 60 mg riboflavin (RF)/kg DM. Supplementation of CRF in diets with CFA had greater increase in daily weight gain and feed efficiency than in diets without CFA. Supplementation with CFA or CRF enhanced digestibility of DM, organic matter, crude protein, neutral-detergent fibre and non-fibre carbohydrate. Ruminal pH and ammonia N content decreased and total volatile fatty acids concentration and acetate to propionate ratio elevated for CFA or CRF addition. Supplement of CFA or CRF increased the activities of fibrolytic enzymes and the numbers of total bacteria, protozoa, fungi, dominant fibrolytic bacteria and Prevotella ruminicola. The activities of α-amylase, protease and pectinase and the numbers of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and Ruminobacter amylophilus were increased by CFA but were unaffected by CRF. Blood concentration of folate elevated and homocysteine decreased for CFA addition. The CRF supplementation elevated blood concentrations of folate and RF. These findings suggested that CFA or CRF inclusion had facilitating effects on performance and ruminal fermentation, and combined addition of CFA and CRF had greater increase in performance than CFA or CRF addition alone in bulls.

Potential Value of Wood Tar as a Natural Fungicide against Valsa mali.

The Valsa canker caused by Valsa mali seriously harmed the production of East Asian apples and caused very significant economic losses. Considering the chemical residues and the improvement of people’s awareness of environmental protection, there is a need for screening new green pesticides for the control of Valsa canker. Therefore, we conducted systematic evaluations on the antifungal activity of wood tar. In this research, the effective concentration (EC50) of six strains of V. mali to wood tar was determined, and the EC50 ranged from 69.54 to 92.81 μg/mL. After treatment with wood tar, the hyphae of V. mali broke, swelled, and deformed; the permeability of the cell membrane increased; and the activity of pectinase reduced. Moreover, the expression levels of five genes related to pectinase also decreased significantly. In addition, the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and peroxidase (POD) of apple leaves treated with wood tar also increased. On detached apple branches, wood tar also showed therapeutic and protective activities. In the 2016–2019 field experiments, wood tar also showed good efficacy against Valsa canker and promoted the formation of callus. (In the experiments from 2016 to 2019, it can be seen that the control effect of 50% wood tar and 100% wood tar in the field is above 75% and promoted the formation of callus.) This study is the first to report the bidirectional efficacy of wood tar against Valsa mali and for trunk wound healing. The above results evidenced that wood tar has great potential to be developed as a natural alternative to commercial fungicides for the management of apple Valsa canker.

Exploring the phenotypic diversity of oenological traits in Kluyveromyces marxianus strains.

The use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in the winemaking process may have several positive outcomes. Kluyveromyces marxianus has recently been revealed as a promising species for this industry. While the majority of studies mention the use of K. marxianus in various industries including food production (e.g. dairy and cocoa), recent studies have also shown that its aroma and pectinase production make it a suitable yeast for the wine industry. Nevertheless, only particular strain, IWBT Y885, was investigated. In this study, five different K. marxianus strains as well as one protoplast fusant (BF2020) were compared to strain Y885. These comparisons focused on various oenological traits such as fermentation performance, fermentation metabolites, hydrogen sulfide, and pectinase production. Throughout the study, variations were found between the K. marxianus strains investigated. Indeed, although common traits such as high pectinase activity appeared conserved among K. marxianus strains, a fairly large phenotypic diversity was also evident. Using cluster analysis, strain groupings emerged with strains L01, L05, Y885, and BF2020 grouping together. Similarly, strains L02 and L04 grouped together while strain L03 appearing to show the most variation between the strains investigated. Variation between strains was observed regardless of the original source of isolation.

Evaluation of enzymatic production of hydrolases and oxyredutases by Fusarium pseudocircinatum and Corynespora torulosa isolated from caesarweed (Urena lobata L., 1753)

This work evaluates the enzymatic production of hydrolases and oxireductases by endophytic fungi isolated from leaves of the caesarweed (Urena lobata L.), which is a perennial plant that is well adapted to the Amazon floodplains region, being and is widely used in the production of hessian sacks and other products of natural fiber. Fungi strains Fusarium sp. (1290) and Corynespora sp. (1291) were reactivated, and had their DNA extracted and sequenced to obtain molecular identification. For enzymatic production, dried and ground caesarweed was used as a substrate in the mineral salt solutions Manachini and GLBN 40 over during 10 days of submerged cultivation (CS) under agitation. The CA was vacuum filtered daily with a 0.22 µm Millipore membrane to obtain enzymatic extracts, from which the activities of FPase, xylanase, CMCase, β-glycosidase, pectinase, laccase, manganese peroxidase (MnP) and lignin peroxidase (LiP) were evaluated. Lines strains 1290 and 1291 were identified as F. pseudocircinatum and C. torulosa, respectively, the latter being the best producer of laccase (8,691 U/L), MnP (5,353 U/L), β-glycosidase (0.328 U/mL) and CMCase (0.351 U/mL) and the fungus F. pseudocircinatum was the best producer of FPase (1.294 U/mL), xylanase (12.052 U/mL) and pectinase (0.183 U/mL). No LiP activity was detected for either of the strains. The results showed that the strains used are promising for the production of seven of the eight quantified enzymes, and these enzymes are of interest to several industrial sectors.

Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum or Enterococcus faecalis as co-inoculants with Aspergillus oryzae in koji making on the physicochemical properties of soy sauce.

Soy sauce fermentation is largely mediated by bacteria, including several non-salt-tolerant bacterial species. The present study aimed to compare the use of Aspergillus oryzae alone or in co-inoculation with Lactobacillus plantarum or Enterococcus faecalis on the resulting enzymatic activity, content of phenolic compounds, free amino acids, organic acids, and antioxidant capacity of soy sauce. Co-inoculation significantly increased acid protease, β-glucosidase, and pectinase activities during koji making. Additionally, the contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, organic acids, amino acids, isoflavones, as well as the antioxidant capacity were higher during moromi fermentation using co-inoculants compared to those obtained when A. oryzae was used as single inoculant. Overall, co-inoculation of A. oryzae with L. plantarum or E. faecalis during koji making was shown to effectively promote the production of active substances in soy sauce. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, Aspergillus oryzae in mixed inoculation with Lactobacillus plantarum or Enterococcus faecalis could be effectively used in koji making for soy sauce. The use of co-inoculants in koji making effectively promoted the production of active substances in soy sauce, hence it is improving health benefits, whilst diversifying the use of raw materials and the application value of soybean meal.

Citrus pomace fermentation with autochthonous probiotics improves its nutrient composition and antioxidant activities

This study was aimed at improving the nutrient composition of citrus pomace by solid-state fermentation with the autochthonous probiotics Lactobacillus plantarum P10, M14 and Bacillus subtilis BF2. The results showed that B. subtilis plays an important role in the release of phenolic components during fermentation, by increasing the cellulase, filter paperlyase, and pectinase activities. Co-fermentation with B. subtilis BF2 and L. plantarum P10 (BPF) increased the total phenolic content of CP by up to 133.15%, while single-bacteria fermentation with L. plantarum M14 significantly increased dietary fiber and organic acid content by 47.06% and 1429%, respectively. Furthermore, the phenolic fractions were markedly changed after fermentation, naringin and hesperidin were the main phenolic compounds in CP. They were highly correlated (r > 0.85, p < 0.05) with DPPH and ABTS+ radical scavenging abilities, which increased by 397.8% and 226.1%, respectively, when BPF was used. This study provides a potential method for producing high-value food or feed materials, with high antioxidant activities, from CP.

Polysaccharide hydrolyzing enzyme activity of bacteria, native to Apis florea gut

Introduction and Aim: Apis florea commonly known as “dwarf honey bee” harbors enormous gut bacteria that can digest complex carbohydrates and other food components. In this regard, the present investigation was focused on analyzing the polysaccharide degrading ability of bacteria isolated from the gut of honeybee, for their possible application in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Materials and Methods: Nine bacterial isolates were screened for carbohydrate degrading enzymes viz., amylase, pectinase, cellulase, tannase and laccase, using respective substrate by plate assay method. Further activities of amylase and pectinase were measured quantitatively by dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method. Results: All the nine selected isolates exhibited amylase and pectinase activities. However, only two isolates exhibited lignolytic and cellulolytic activity. None of the isolates showed tannin degradation. Maximum amylase activity (4.95 U/mg) was observed in Bacillus halotolerans af-M9 followed by Klebsiella oxytoca af-G4 (4.62 U/mg). With respect to pectinase activity Klebsiella pneumoniae af-E17 displayed higher activity (0.24 U/mg) followed by Klebsiella oxytoca af-G4 (0.20 U/mg). Conclusion: Habitat-specific innovations are being explored for novel compounds for therapeutic applications. This study throws a light on selection of carbohydrate degrading bacteria from a new source i.e., GUT of honeybee.

Profiling multi-enzyme activities of Aspergillus niger strains growing on various agro-industrial residues.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-021-03086-y.

Ultrastructural Observations of Botrytis cinerea and Physical Changes in Resistant and Susceptible Grapevines.

The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea is a major threat to grapevine cultivation worldwide. Here, a highly resistant Chinese wild grapevine, Vitis amurensis 'Shuangyou' (SY), and the susceptible V. vinifera 'Red Globe' (RG) were selected for study, and their pathogenic infection and biochemical responses to B. cinerea were evaluated. The results revealed more trichomes on and a thicker cuticle for leaves of SY than RG under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both SEM and TEM also showed that conidial germination, appressorium formation, and hyphal development of B. cinerea were delayed on the leaves of resistant SY. Fewer infected hyphae were also observed in leaves of resistant SY when compared with susceptible RG. The infected leaves of resistant SY harbored higher levels of cellulase and pectinase activity during the early infection stages of B. cinerea at 4 h postinoculation (hpi), and higher glucanase and chitinase activity were maintained in the inoculated leaves of SY from 4 through 18 hpi. Lignin was deposited in the infected leaves of susceptible RG but not in resistant SY. Taken together, these results provide insights into the ultrastructural characterizations and physical changes in resistant and susceptible grapevines.

Enzymatic depolymerization of wheat straw polysaccharides

The purpose of this study is to develop a technology for enzymatic processing for depolymerization of polysaccharides in wheat straw to obtain the maximum yield of glucose and sorbitol. Cellulolytic enzymes endo-1,4-β-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4) and cellobiose (1,3-β-glucosidase) (CF 3.2.1.21) were isolated and studied in local strains Tr. viride 121, which are grown under deep cultivation conditions. A technology has been developed for obtaining a complex preparation “Cellozyme G20x” with a high yield and specific activity of cellulase, xylanase, β-glucanase and pectinase, and a scheme for purification from cellulases by precipitation, ultrafiltration, and freeze drying is not inferior in efficiency to commercial preparations. The physicochemical properties of the preparation “Cellozyme G20x” have been studied, the optimal parameters of the action and stability of the enzyme preparation have been established. The efficiency of Cellozyme G20x for hydrolysis of straw polysaccharides was 35-40% in terms of glucose yield.

Salicylic acid effect on the mechanism of Lelliottia amnigena causing potato soft rot

Abstract Salicylic acid (SA) plays an important role in protecting plants from biotic stresses. Lelliottia amnigena is a newly identified potato soft rot pathogen and there are no adequate studies on this soft rot pathogen. Therefore, this paper focussed on the effect of SA on the mechanism under which L. amnigena causes potato soft rot. L. amnigena was examined and detected to secrete pectinase, proteases, pectin lyase and cellulase, which are the most important pathogenic enzymes involved in the production of plant diseases. Sterilised healthy potato tubers were inoculated with 0.2 mL of L. amnigena suspension (3.69 CFU · mL−1 × 107 CFU · mL−1). After 24 h, 200 μL of four different SA concentrations (0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, 1.5 mM and 2.0 mM) were used to treat the tubers. Co-culture of L. amnigena and SA significantly reduced the activity of pectinase, protease, pectin lyase and cellulase by an average of 33.8%, 43.4%, 67.7% and 46.9%, across the four concentrations (0.5 mM, 1.0 mM, 1.5 mM and 2.0 mM), respectively, compared to the control. The average disease index was reduced by 54.7% across the four SA concentrations. Treatment with SA induced transcriptional levels of the superoxide dismutase, peroxide, catalase and glutathione S-transferase across the four levels by an average of 3.87, 3.25, 3.97 and 3.94-fold, respectively, compared to control. Based on our results, we could state that SA could reduce the activities of these extracellular enzymes produced by L. amnigena by modulating both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities and gene expression that induce natural resistance in plants against bacterial infections.

Effects of the Fungal Bioherbicide, Alternaria cassia on Peroxidase, Pectinolytic and Proteolytic Activities in Sicklepod Seedlings.

Certain plant pathogens have demonstrated potential for use as bioherbicides for weed control, and numerous studies have been published on this subject for several decades. One of the early examples of an important fungal bioherbicide is Alternaria cassiae, isolated from the weed sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia). To gain further insight into biochemical interactions of this fungus and its host weed, we examined the effects of this bioherbicide on various enzymes associated with plant defense. Young sicklepod seedlings were challenged with A. cassiae spore inoculum and enzyme activities associated with plant defense (peroxidase, proteolytic, and pectinolytic) were assayed periodically over a 96-h time course on plants grown in continuous darkness or continuous light. Peroxidase activity increased with time in untreated control seedlings in both light and dark, but the effect was greater in the light. In A. cassiae-treated plants, peroxidase was elevated above that in control tissue at all sample times resulting in a 1.5 -fold increase above control in light-grown tissue and a 2- to 3-fold increase in dark-grown tissue over 48–96 h. Differences in leucine aminopeptidase activity in control versus A. cassiae-treated tissues were not significant until 48–96 h, when activity was inhibited in fungus-treated tissues by about 32% in light-grown tissue and 27% in dark-grown tissue after 96 h. Proteolytic activity on benzoyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide was not significantly different in treated versus control tissue in either light or dark over the time course. Pectinase activity increased in treated tissues at all time points as early as 16 h after spore application in light- or dark-grown plants. The greatest increases were 1.5-fold above control levels in light-grown plants (40–64 h) and 2-fold in plants grown in darkness (72–96 h). Data suggests that peroxidase may be involved as defense mechanism of sicklepod when challenged by A. cassia and that this mechanism is operative in young seedlings under both light and dark growth conditions. Differential proteolytic activity responses on these two substrates suggests the presence of two different enzymes. Increased pectinase activity during pathogenesis suggests that A. cassiae-sicklepod interaction results in an infectivity mechanism to degrade pectic polymers important to sicklepod cell wall integrity. These studies provide important information on some biochemical interactions that may be useful for improvements to biological weed control programs utilizing plant pathogens. Such information may also be useful in genetic selection and manipulation of pathogens for weed control.

Sustainable Utilization of Potato Industry Waste for Antifungal Biopolymer Production by Lactobacillus helveticus and Its Application on Pomegranates (Punica granatum L.)

The present study reports the characterization of an extracellular polymer produced by a strain of Lactobacillus helveticus in potato waste medium and the subsequent application of the biopolymer for protecting farm-bruised pomegranates against fungal infection following harvest. Chemical, thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR and scanning electron micrographs of the purified biopolymer revealed it to be a polysaccharide with good thermal stability and a compact structure. Purified biopolymer exhibited strong antifungal properties against the fungal pathogen Penicillium implicatum. In tissues of pomegranates, subjected to fungal challenge, pectinase, cellulase and xylanase activity indicative of infectivity was not observed upon storage for 14 days at 28 °C. Besides visual discoloration of pomegranates, characteristic of soft rot and fungal growth of tissue extracts could not be detected on PDA plates. Postharvest parameters, physiological loss of weight, TA, TSS, TSS/TA ratio, ascorbic acids, total sugars and sensory attributes in the biopolymer dipped bruised pomegranates challenged with P. implicatum, showed no significant (p > 0.05) change following storage. P. implicatum challenged bruised fruits which lacked dipping treatment was spoiled by 48 h. Farm-bruised pomegranates dipped with biopolymer offered complete protection of the bruised pomegranates upon storage for 14 days at ambient temperature (28 °C). Overall, the results of this study suggest a sustainable use of potato processing wastes for the reutilization of 5–16% of damaged pomegranates, economically beneficial to farmers. Besides, the process will have strong importance in reducing and recycling potato industry wastes for innovative postharvest applications for other horticultural produces.

Immobilization and Characterization of Pectinase onto the Cationic Polystyrene Resin.

In the present study, the immobilization of free pectinase onto polystyrene resin beads via crosslinking with glutaraldehyde was investigated. The immobilized pectinase was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. After optimizing the immobilization conditions, the optimum pH of immobilized pectinase shifted from 8.0 to 8.5 and the optimum temperature shifted from 45 to 60 °C, showing its improved stability to temperature and pH compared with the free pectinase. The Michaelis–Menten constant Km value of free and immobilized pectinase was determined to be 1.95 and 5.36 mM, respectively. The storage stability of immobilized pectinase was demonstrated with 36.8% of the initial activity preserved after 30 days at 25 °C. The reusability of the immobilized pectinase activity was 54.6% of its initial activity after being recycled six times. Therefore, based on the findings mentioned above, it can be inferred that this simple immobilization technique for pectinase appears to be promising for industrial applications.

PRODUCTION OF ENZYMES IN PREDOMINANT THERMOPHILIC FUNGI AVAILABLE FROM ORGANIC SUBSTRATES

Present investigation describes that the study site comes under Aurangabad Division Maharashtra and it falls in Deccan Plateau Zone of India. It was collected different types of organic substrates viz. vermiompost, poultary manure, baggase, farm yard manure (FYM), soil, Ash etc. Isolated thermophilic predominant fungi thermophilic fungi viz.Aspergillus niger, Mucor mucedo,Humicola &#x0D; insolens,Trichoderma harzianum,T. viride,Penicillium duponti,Fusarium oxysporun and Chaetomium thermophilum were carried out for the production of enzymes. Isolated predominant thermophilic fungi were evaluated on different types of enzymes. Among tested thermophilic fungi, the highest ativity was observed in C. thermophilium (20mm) followed by T. harzianum (19.50mm) In lipase, M. mucedo (15.40mm) was found maximum followed by F. oxysporun. Cellulase activity was found highest in A. nige (25mm) followed by others. In case of xylanase, catalase, peroxidase and esterase activities were found maximum, minimum and medium even negative in some fungi. Maximum pectinase activity was detected from H. insolens (52.26 @ 0 min) and (74.25 @ 10 min) and in case of M. mucedo, F. oxysporun and C. thermophilium was found most extreme while least in A. niger (30.12) and P. duponti (33.47) @ 0 minute.&#x0D; &#x0D; Key words: Organic Substrates, Thermophilic Fungi, Enzymes

Biochemical Activity of Propolis Alcoholic Extracts against Fusarium oxysporum hm89

Propolis was responsible for in vitro growth suppression of some tested phytopathogenic fungi. Four tested species were partially inhibited by using propanolic or ethanolic extract associated with promising growth reduction of Fusarium oxysporum in a per cent of growth recorded 38.2% or 58.9% during propanolic or ethanolic application, respectively, while Helminthosporium sp. and Cladosporium sp. showed unexpected activation of growth during propanolic or ethanolic extract applications. The antimicrobial products identified during GC-MS analysis of the propolis propanolic extract were Pyrazole, Quinic acid, D-lactic acid, Pentanoic acid, Erythritol and sulfonamide derivatives. The SDS gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins of Fusarium oxysporum treated with propanolic or ethanolic propolis extracts showed a specific protein band at 26.002 kDa with the untreated pathogen, and several characterized bands at 21.160, 26.012, 28.666, 38.44, 102 kDa related to propolis propanolic extract (2) and finally a two markedly visible bands at 18.871, 33.083 kDa with propolis ethanolic extract (3). The decrease in enzyme activity of cellulase and pectinase of Fusarium oxysporum was recorded under treatment with either propanolic or ethanolic extracts. There was suppression in the degree of infectivity such as the number of rotted seeds, wilting, brown discoloration of Phaseolus seedlings presoaked in either of the two propolis extracts compared to infected plants with more reduction individually in case of propanolic extract over that of ethanolic one.

Bio-scouring of Non-spinnable Cotton by a Crude Enzyme of a New Fungal Strain Aspergillus sp. VM-1, Isolated from Banana Pseudostem Waste

In the present study, we isolated and identified a new fungus, Aspergillus sp VM-1 from banana pseudostem waste. The fungal strain, Aspergillus sp. VM-1 was grown on a substrate (banana pseudostem, cottonseed hulls and cottonseed meal in the ratio of 60:30:10, respectively) for 7 days and the crude enzyme was extracted from the fermented substrate. The pectinase activity in crude enzyme extract was 551 (U/ml). The crude enzyme extracted from Aspergillus sp. VM-1 was evaluated for bio-scouring of non-spinnable cotton. The non-spinnable cotton taken in the study was short staple cotton (SSC), cotton linters (CL) and non-woven cotton fabric (NWCF). The maximum absorbency (2 s) in non-spinnable cotton was achieved under optimized process conditions: enzyme extract level (40%), temperature (40 ± 2 °C) and time (40 min). The quality parameters of bio-scoured cotton meet the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) standards. A solid state fermenter was designed to scale-up the crude enzyme production up to 30 l. This is the first report on bio-scouring of under-utilized short cotton fibres at lower temperature (40 ± 2 °C). The present study offers a simple and eco-friendly bio-scouring process as an alternative to toxic chemical scouring of under-utilized short staple cotton fibres.Graphic Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12649-021-01621-9.