PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LACCASE FROM ASPERGILLUS TERREUS ISOLATED FROM SAW MILL SOIL OF OSMANABAD

The novel fungal laccase was produced from Aspergillus terreus –S19 isolated from saw mill soil of Osmanabad. The enzyme laccase was produced in solid state fermentation by incubating fungal strain up to 96h incubation, and partially purified by the sequential method of Ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by nominal molecular weight limit (NMWL) cut-off ultra filtration using 30K filters. The partially purified enzyme showed 91.08 U/L of enzyme activity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was confirmed about 56.0 kilodalton (kDa) by the SDS-PAGE analysis. The partially purified enzyme showed excellent activity at pH 5.0 and temperature 30⁰C. The enzyme activity enhanced in the presence of Cu²⁺, Ca²⁺, surfactants and organic acids, whereas; the L-cysteine completely inhibit the enzymatic activity. In conclusion, the novel laccase enzyme obtained from Aspergillus terreus –S19 explored the promising candidature for the several potential applications in the decolourization of dyes, degradation of lignin, pigment xenobiotics, pulp and paper industries, food industries, wine clarification, and several other industrial processes.