Development of medium for enhanced production of glutaminase-free L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428.

Glutaminase-free L-asparaginase is known to be an excellent anticancer agent. In the present study, statistically based experimental designs were applied to maximize the production of glutaminase-free L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Nine components of the medium were examined for their significance on the production of L-asparaginase using the Plackett-Burman experimental design. The medium components, viz., glucose, L-asparagine, KH2PO4, and MgSO(4).7H2O, were screened based on their high confidence levels (P<0.04). The optimum levels of glucose, L-asparagine, KH2PO4, and MgSO(4).7H2O were found to be 2.076, 5.202, 1.773, and 0.373 g L(-1), respectively, using the central composite experimental design. The maximum specific activity of L-asparaginase in the optimized medium was 27.88 U mg(-1) of protein, resulting in an overall 8.3-fold increase in the production compared to the unoptimized medium.