Potential Application of Suaeda fruticosa and Cressa cretica Biomass as a Substrate for Pectinase Production by Geotrichum candidum

Pectinases are applied in many commercial processes, particularly for fruit juice clarification. Cost effective production of pectinase necessitates utilization of agro-industrial wastes as fermentation raw materials. Biomass from halophytic plants provides a prospect for its sustainable utilization in industrial processes. Here, we report utilization of two halophytic biomasses, Suaeda fruticosa and Cressa cretica to grow a pectinolytic strain, Geotrichum candidum AA15 and its mutant strain AHC1. Amount of pectinase produced was compared by cultivating the strains in the medium containing apple peels and orange peels. The data showed that G. candidum AHC1 can produce pectinase titers of 15.43 and 28.15 IU mL −1 within 25 h when cultivated in the medium containing biomass from C. cretica and S. fruticosa , respectively. The results of FTIR and Scanning Electron microscopy affirmed the bacterial growth mediated changes in the structure of the substrate that was associated with the pectinase production. The crude pectinase preparation was applied to hydrolyze an agro-waste, sugarcane bagasse, that resulted in the release of 86 mg g −1 of reducing sugars. Thus, this study proposed the usage of halophytic plant biomass for cost effective pectinase production and its application for saccharification of agro-waste.