Extracellular chitin deacetylase production in solid state fermentation by native soil isolates of Penicillium monoverticillium and Fusarium oxysporum.

Extracellular chitin deacetylase production by native soil isolates of Penicillium monoverticillium CFR 2 and Fusarium oxysporum CFR 8 in solid state fermentation (SSF) using commercial wheat bran (CWB) and shrimp processing by-products (SPP) as solid substrate has been studied. P. monoverticillium produced maximum chitin deacetylase activity of 547.7 ± 45 and 390.2 ± 31 units/g initial dry substrate (U/g IDS) at 96 h of incubation in CWB and SPP media, respectively. While, F. oxysporum produced maximum chitin deacetylase activity of 306.4 ± 22 U/g IDS at 72 h of incubation in CWB medium and 220.1 ± 20 U/g IDS at 120 h of incubation in SPP medium. Along with chitin deacetylase, P. monoverticillium and F. oxysporum produced other chitin degrading enzymes such as endo-chitinase and β-N-acetylhexosaminidase. P. monoverticillium produced maximum activity (U/g IDS) of endo-chitinase 4.6 ± 0.20 at 120 h incubation and β-N-acetylhexosaminidase 82.6 ± 03 at 120 h incubation in CWB medium. While, F. oxysporum produced maximum activity (U/g IDS) of endo-chitinase 7.8 ± 0.20 at 144 h incubation and β-N-acetylhexosaminidase 38.3 ± 02 at 120 h incubation in CWB medium. Production of extracellular chitin deacetylase by P. monoverticillium CFR 2 and F. oxysporum CFR 8 in SSF is being reported for the first time.