Optimizing the production of cutinase by Fusarium oxysporum using response surface methodology

In the present study, the authors measured the production of cutinase by Fusarium oxysporum in the presence of several carbon and nitrogen sources (glycides, fatty acids and oils, and several organic and inorganic nitrogen sources), trying to find a cost-effective substitute for cutin in the culture medium as an inducer of cutinase production. The results were evaluated by the Tukey test, and flaxseed oil was found to give the best results as a cutinase inducer. Optimization of the growth medium was carried out using response surface methodology, aiming at optimizing the concentrations of the key components. The experimental results were fitted to a second-order polynomial model at a 95% level of significance (P < 0.05). The greatest cutinolytic activity was obtained in a liquid mineral medium supplemented with flaxseed oil, showing an increase in enzymatic activity from 11 to 22.68 μMol/min mL after 48 h of fermentation. The results support the use of flaxseed oil as a substitute for cutin, which is difficult and expensive to obtain, for the production of cutinase in a larger scale.