Nafise Shahbazian - Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran and Food Process Engineering and Biotechnology Research Centre, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran
Babak Bonakdarpour - Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran and Food Process Engineering and Biotechnology Research Centre, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran
Farzin Zokaee Ashtiani - Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran and Food Process Engineering and Biotechnology Research Centre, Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran

This study focuses on Protopectinases (PPases) production by Bacillus subtilis. B. subtilis ATCC6633 was cultivated in 2 different culture media, one based on soybean flour the other on isolated soybean protein (ISP). Statistical analysis of the data showed no significant difference in PPases production between the two media. Heat treatment of the media under pressure for a period of 45 compared to 15 minutes was found to result in higher enzyme titers. The concentration of soybean protein, sugar and phosphate in the media was optimized using a fractional factorial design of experiment. The highest enzyme titres were obtained in the absence of added sugar, and 0.3 M and 40 g/l of phosphate and ISP respectively.

Pectinolytic enzyme production; Protopectinase; Pectin; Bacillus subtilis; soy medium;