Revista global de biología, agricultura y ciencias de la salud

Abstracto

EFFECT OF pH ON THE MANGANESE DEPENDENT PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY OF PENICILLIUM FREII AND ASPERGILLUS NIGER

E. Omaka, A Omaka

White rot fungi have been implicated in the bioremediation of oil contaminated sites. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recalcitrant organic compounds formed by the fusion of two or more benzene rings. They are also important components of petroleum hydrocarbons associated with oil-contaminated environments. Ligninolytic enzymes of white rot fungi are involved in the biodegradation of PAHs and other structurally similar organic compounds. Fungal cultures were isolated by enrichment culture collected from road-side soil in College Lane Campus of University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom and identified as Penicillium freii and Aspergillus niger. After identification, Penicillium freii and Aspergillus niger were cultured in malt extract broth adjusted to range of broth pH 5.5, 7.0 and 8.5, incubated and harvested after seven days. Manganese dependent peroxidase (MnP) activity (μmol/ml/min) was determined using oxidation of MBTH (3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone hydrochloride + DMAB (3-dimethylaminobenzoic acid). MnP activity of Aspergillus niger was optimum at pH 5.5, while that of Penicillium freii was optimum at pH 8.5.