MUCOR ELLIPSOIDEUS STRAIN CBS 126271, A NOVEL FUNGAL STRAIN ISOLATED FROM TERMITE GUT, PRODUCES CELLULASE
Sunanda Joshi and Arindam Kuila*
.
Abstract
Economic viability, high yields, stability, and rapid growth of microbes
on low-cost media, novel microbial strains are preferred sources for
industrial enzymes. Isolation of such microbial strains and enhanced
their productivity rate, in today’s time frame it is a great challenge. The
microorganisms in the intestine of termites are capable of synthesizing
the enzymes, which are excellent in both quality and quantity. They are
dominant insects belonging to the Isoptera order; fed by cellulosebased
food and well-recognized for their economic effects they do to
agriculture. In the current investigation, Mucor ellipsoideus strain
CBS 126271 first time has been isolated from termite and reported
throughout the world, for its low cost cellulase production capacitywith
low-cost substratum, i.e. agro-industrial waste by submerged
fermentation process. They are active over a wide range of temperatures (25-350C), substrate
concentration (2-6%), incubation days (4-6) for the development of cellulase by termite
fungal insulation. Within four days of incubation, the highest cellulase production (1.189
IU/mL) was achieved.
Keywords: Termite, Cellulase, Agriculture waste, submerged fermentation.
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