پریسا فتحی رضایی

Abstract Background: Pectinases are one of the upcoming enzymes in food processing industries and they hydrolyze pectin substances. Objectives: This study was done to examine the production of pectinase by Piriformospora indica in submerged fermentation (SmF) along with growth parameters. Materials and methods: The fungus P. indica was cultured on Kafer medium supplemented with pectin for 0–12 days and fungus growth, number of spores, total protein content, and pectinase activity were investigated. Results: Firstly, pectinase secretion by P. indica was confirmed by cup-plate assay. The maximum dry cell weight (10.21 g/L), growth yield (0.65 g/g), specific growth rate (0.56 day−1) and pectinase activity (10.47 U/mL) on pectin containing medium (P+) were achieved after 6 day of culture. In the case of pectin free medium (P−) all the parameters were less than P+ medium. The pectinase production by P. indica on P+ was 2.7 times higher than P−. The optimum pH and temperature for maximum polygalacturonase activity were 5 and 50°C, respectively. Conclusions: For the first time, the work confirmed pectinase secretion by P. indica fungus and it could be a good source for pectinase production. Moreover, optimum pH 5, make it a potential candidate for future application in fruit juice industries.