Isolation and selection strains for degradation of pectin from orange peels (Citrus sinensis)

Abstract

Mould is the species, which has capable of producing the enzyme pectinase with high activity and is most commonly used today. This study was carried out to isolate and select mould strains that have potential use in degradation of pectin from orange peels (Citrus sinensis). Isolation of mould on potato dextrose agar (PDA), czapek dox agar (CZ), and malt extract agar (MEA) media, the results showed that 6 mould strains were isolated belonging to 4 genera, including Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, and Rhizopus. Testing the ability to degrade pectin on pectin agar medium showed that all mould strains were able to degrade pectin with the zone of clearance in the range of 10.33-29.33 mm. In which, XX2 strain has the highest ability to produce pectinase enzyme when fermenting based on orange peel substrate should be selected for identification and the result revealed that the XX2 strain could be identified as genus Aspergillus and primarily presumed as A. tamarii, A. flavus, and A. oryzae with the identical percentage of 91.04-91.88%.