Exploitation of Different Agro-residues for Acid protease Production by Rhizopus sp. in Koji Fermentation

Muhammad Irfan, Abdul Rauf1 , Quratualain Syed, Muhammad Nadeem, Shahjahan Baig

Food & Biotechnology Research Center (FBRC) Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories complex, Ferozpure road Lahore Pakistan-54600; 1 Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.

Corresponding Author: Muahmmad Irfan, mirfanashraf@yahoo.com

Abstract :

Two different strains of Rhizopus sp. i.e. R. oligosporus -M30 and R. arrhizus -M26 were employed for the production of acid protease using different agro-residues such as rice husk, rice bran, wheat bran, defatted soybean meal and sunflower meal as a sole carbon source. R. oligosporus -M30 gave maximum enzyme level with soybean meal (15.6 U/gds) while R. arrhizus -M26 with sunflower meal (13.6 U/gds) respectively. The optimal conditions for the enzyme production by R .oligosporus -M30 were initial pH of 5.5, temperature 30 oC with 10% of inoculum size for 72hr of fermentation period. When R. arrhizus -M26 was cultivated that exhibit the best enzyme production with the fermentation period of 72h, initial pH 5.0, temperature 33 oC with 5% of inoculum size