Starch and cell wall degrading enzymes from fungal organisms grown on cereal and millet brans

In the global market, there has been an increasing demand for "natural products". In this direction, the present study has attempted to evaluate fungal organisms as a source of starch and cell wall degrading enzymes which have a role to play in obtaining ferulic acid from brans of cereal and millet and are subsequently biotransformed to vanillin. Three fungal organisms, namely Aspergillus niger CFR 1105, A. oryzae CFR 232 and Rhizopus arrhizus NCIM 997, were grown on brans of wheat, rice and ragi (Eleusine coracana) for 24-, 48-, 72- and 96-h time intervals, and the resultant moldy brans were evaluated for starch and cell wall degrading enzymes. The activity of amylase, the most preponderant enzyme in all the moldy brans, was several times higher than the pullulanse activity. Xylanase activity was 2-3 times higher than that of 1,3/1,4-β-D-glucanase in all the moldy brans. A. niger CFR 1105 and A. oryzae CFR 232 were found to be better than R. arrhizus NCIM 997 with respect to the induction of starch and cell wall degrading enzymes and can be utilized for the degradation of cell wall polymers of wheat, rice and ragi brans. Wheat bran was found to be a better substrate than rice and ragi brans for the induction of those enzymes.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]