Penicillium ochrochloron MTCC 517 chitinase: An effective tool in commercial enzyme cocktail for production and regeneration of protoplasts from various fungi

Penicillium ochrochloron MTCC 517 is a potent producer of chitinolytic enzymes. Novozyme 234, traditional enzyme cocktail for protoplast generation is not available in the market. So, new enzyme cocktail is prepared for protoplast formation from various filamentous fungi which consists of 5 mg ml(−1) lysing enzymes from Trichoderma harzianum, 0.06 mg ml(−1) β-glucuronidase from Helix pomatia and 1 mg ml(−1)P. ochrochloron chitinase. The greatest number of protoplasts could be produced from most of the fungi in 0.8 M sorbitol and by incubation for about 2 h at 37 °C, but the number was decreased by incubation for more than 3 h. About twice as many protoplasts were produced from different species of fungi by involvement of P. ochrochloron chitinase than with combined commercial enzymes.