Two layered strategy for cost effective production of pectinase: immobilization of yeast and utilization of crude substrate

The wide scale application of pectinase is generally hindered by high cost of the enzyme production. In this work, a two dimensional strategy was adopted to reduce cost of pectinase production by Geotrichum candidum AA15. The strain was immobilized in alginate beads. The optimum concentration for bead formation was found to be 3.5% of sodium alginate (NA) with 4% calcium chloride (CaCl(2)). Such immobilized cells retained the ability to produce 0.115 IU mL(−1) of pectinase for up to 6(th) production cycle in citrus pectin containing medium while free cells produced only 0.046 IU mL(−1) of pectinase. For the cultivation of immobilized cells on orange peels (OP), a combination of 4.5% NA and 4% CaCl(2) was found effective to prepare beads. Geotrichum candidum AA15 produced 0.220 IU mL(−1) pectinase by fermenting OP as a substrate for up to 3(rd) production cycle. The results revealed that the process of immobilization can be used as a promising strategy in combination with the use of naturally available waste biomass.