Characterization of Hemicellulolytic Enzymes Produced by Aspergillus niger NRRL 328 under Solid State Fermentation on Soybean Husks

Abstract

This manuscript describes the analysis of xylanase production by Aspergillus niger NRRL 328 in solid state fermentation (SSF) of soybean husks. A maximum value of extracellular xylanase activity of approximately 950 U g-1 was achieved after 96 h. Proteomic analyses performed on the enzymatic mixture responsible for the maximum value of xylanase activity in SSF revealed the presence of two xylanases. This xylanolytic mixture was partially purified and characterized. It followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics towards xylan, with a KM of 7.92 ±0.97 mg xylan/mL and a Vmax of 262.2 ± 27.8 g L-1 s-1. The optimum pH for the enzyme is 5.3, and the optimal temperature is 50 °C. The enzyme retains 100% of its activity at 40 °C for at least 1 month. It shows very high stability in a broad pH range, with a half-life of 40 days at pH 5.3, pH 6.0, pH 6.5, pH 7.0, and pH 8.0.

Keywords

• Aspergillus niger
• Solid state fermentation
• Xylanase