Enzymatic production of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine by solid state fermentation of chitinase by Penicillium ochrochloron MTCC 517 using agricultural residues

• Solid state fermentation of chitinase by Penicillium ochrochloron MTCC 517 using wheat, rice and red gram bran.
• Central composite design was employed for interaction studies.
• Maximum chitinase activity was recorded experimentally for wheat bran (2443.23 U g−1).
• TLC and HPLC analysis revealed that N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) as the final product.

The optimization studies for production of chitinase were carried out by response surface methodology (RSM) based on statistics experimental design using three substrates, which were wheat, rice and red gram bran. 24 full factorial central composite design was applied to evaluate optimal combinations of variables. These variables were chitin concentration, initial moisture content, inoculum level, and incubation time. The results of second order polynomial showed that all four variables had significant effect on chitinase production. Maximum chitinase activity was recorded for wheat bran (2443.23 U g−1) than rice (1216.65 U g−1) and red gram bran (961.32 U g−1). An overall 3-fold increase in chitinase activity was achieved using optimized strategies of RSM. Growth of the fungus on all bran particles have been visualized by scanning electron microscopy. These results indicated the potential of Penicillium ochrochloron for economical production of chitinase using agricultural residues. TLC and HPLC analysis of colloidal chitin hydrolysate with partially purified chitinases revealed that the major reaction product was monomeric GlcNAc indicating the potential of these enzymes for efficient production of GlcNAc.