CHARACTERIZATION OF A SOLVENT-TOLERANT MANGANESE PEROXIDASE (MnP) FROM GANODERMA LUCIDUM AND ITS APPLICATION IN FRUIT JUICE CLARIFICATION

Manganese peroxidase (MnP) is necessary in fruit juice clarification for the degradation of phenolic compounds. In the present study, MnP was produced using basal medium supplemented with tamarind shell (1% w/v), ethanol (2% v/v) and gallic acid (1 mM) to a maximum activity of 65 U/mL. A 43.0 kDa MnP was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography with 6.5-fold and 13% yield. The optimal activity of the purified MnP was achieved at pH 5.5 and temperature of 45C with 2,6dimethoxyphenol as substrate. The inhibitors sodium azide, cyanide and EDTA inhibited the MnP activity up to 100, 93 and 84%, respectively. MnP showed high activity and stability in the presence of different metal ions, surfactants and organic solvents. Clarification of different fruit juices with MnP showed its potential application in the food and beverage industry.The authors thank the University of Madras Grants Commission for providing the scholarship to T.M. through Science for Meritorious Students, and Dr. R. Rengasamy, CAS in Botany, University of Madras, for providing the adequate laboratory facility to carry out the research. This study was supported by Hanyang University