Pectinase is a crucial enzyme in the food industry, particularly in juice extraction and clarification. Aspergillus niger is a commonly used fungus for pectinase production. Orange peels, rich in pectin, offer a cost-effective and sustainable carbon source for microbial fermentation. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) and submerged fermentation (SmF) are employed to produce pectinase. Optimizing fermentation conditions and characterizing the enzyme are essential for efficient production.This study aimed at producing and characterizing pectinase from Aspergillus niger using orange peels. A sufficient quantity of orange peels was collected from Wukari New Market, along Wukari-Jalingo Road, Taraba State, and brought to the Biochemistry Laboratory in Federal University Wukari. Taraba State, where they were washed with potable water, minced into small particles, sun-dried, and allowed to decay. 1 g of the decaying sample was weighed aseptically into 9ml of distilled water separately and shaken thoroughly. From this mixture, dilutions were subsequently made up to 10-4 and pour plating of 10-2, 10-3, and 10-4 were done in sterilised Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Streptomycin (100mg/l) was added to the PDA after sterilisation to prevent bacterial growth. Plates were incubated in an inverted position at 30ºC for 7 days. After incubation, the plates were observed for fungal growth. The isolates were examined and identified in the Department of Microbiology, Federal University Wukari, based on colonial and cultural characteristics and morphology of isolate sporing structures. Isolate fungi were identified using a light microscope. Isolates were flooded with iodine-potassium iodide solution for 10min and colonies wereobserved by the appearance of a clear zone around the plates. It was observed that pectinase activitywasoptimumonday3ofthefermentation periodincontrol and both tube 1 and tube 2, while minimum activity recorded on day 1 of fermentation and in the control sample as well as tube 1 and tube 2. pH 5.6 recorded the lowest activity of pectinase which to increase again from pH 6.0 until optimum pH was recorded at 7.0. The peak of pectinase activity was observed at 50 °C following this sharp increase. Pectinase activity was optimum at a substrate concentration 1%. The KmandVmaxvaluesforpectinasewere estimated to be 5.93and2.22,respectively.The study successfully produced pectinase from Aspergillus niger using orange peels as a carbon source, offering a sustainable and eco-friendly approach. This approach reduces waste and adds value to agricultural by-products.
