Thermophilic Fungi with Glucosidase and Proteolytic Activities

The directed search for extremophilic producers in order to obtain hydrolytic enzymes with increased thermal stability has an unconditional practical potential for use in the food and feed industry to improve the quality of the final product. The aim of the work was to study the ability of collection strains of thermophilic fungi to show α-L-rhamnosidase, α-galactosidase, cellulase, β-mannanase, keratinase and caseinolytic activity. Methods. Micromycetes were grown under submerged conditions in test tubes at 42°C for 8–14 days. Enzymatic activities were studied in the culture liquid supernatant. p-Nitrophenyl-α-D-galactopyranoside, naringin, guar gum galactomannan and Na-carboxymethylcellulose were used as substrates to determine α-galactosidase, α-L-rhamnosidase, β-mannanase and cellulase activities, respectively. Casein and crushed defatted feathers were served as substrates for the determination of proteolytic activity. Results. The enzymatic activity of 50 strains of micromycetes belonging to 17 species was investigated. The studied group showed high activity: 94% of the strains had at least one, 34% – two, 26% – from three to five enzyme activities. The most active keratinase