Author : Sankeerthana C, Shabana Pinjar, Rizwana Tabassum Jambagi, Shamala Bhavimani, Anupam,S, Sarovar B and Shashikal R. Inamdar

Proteases are one of the most important groups of industrial enzymes and occur widely in plants and animals. In the present work, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus were used for the production of proteases by solid state fermentation using varieties of rice bran as a substrate and subjected to different physiological conditions to optimize the fermentation conditions. Purification of the enzyme was done by salt precipitation and ion exchange chromatography methods. Different detergents were used to check the compatibility of proteases for the application in industries. The compatibility of the protease from A.niger is quite high and hence can be further successfully exploited in the detergent industry.

Keywords: Protease, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Rice mill waste, Detergent Industry

Article published in the Proceedings of National Conference on ‘Women in Science & Engineering’ (NCWSE 2013), SDMCET Dharwad