Screening of starch and pectin degrading organisms from waste and evaluation of their activity on natural substrate

This study investigate the micro organism spoiling fruits during transportation, storage or waiting to be processed and rendering themselves unedible and disposal of such spoiled fruits is also a problem leading to environmental pollution. With the view of value addition of the so-called waste, the present study is emphasized on isolation of some useful microorganism from such spoiled fruit. Organism was screened specifically for starch and pectin degradation. Amyl lyticorganism screened belonged to Bacillus and Aspergillus and Pectin lytic organism belonged to Aspergillus, Mucor and Yeast. Comparative activity of this microorganism against certain natural substrate containing starch and pectin content was performed. Amyloyltic activity was determined against rice, corn, and tapioca.  All three isolates showed maximum activity on rice (14.5µg//ml/min, 13.16µg/ml/min, 11.25µg/ml/min) and minimum activity on tapioca (6µg/ml/min, 8.4µg/ml/min, 5.5µg/ml/min). Three pectinolytic activities were determined against apple, guava and carrot. Here pectinase of Aspergillus showed maximum activity on apple (6.0µg/ml/min), Polygalacturonase of Mucor and Yeast showed maximum activity on guava (1.4µg/ml/min and 3.4µg/ml/min), Pectin lyase of Aspergillus and Yeast showed Minimum activity on carrot (0.0019µg/ml/min, 0.0002µg/ml/min) and also pectinase of Mucor showed minimum activity on carrot (0.0012µg/ml/min). Pectinlyase of Mucor and Yeast showed no activity on carrot and apple.