ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF EXTRACELLULAR CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULASE PRODUCING MARINE FUNGI FROM AUROVILLE BEACH, PONDICHERRY

Cellulose is the most abundant renewable natural product in the biosphere. The proportion of cellulose in plant tissues ranges from 20 to 45% of their dry cell weight and to almost over 90% in cotton fibers. Totally 38 different fungal isolates were isolated two different places in Auroville beach, Pondicherry in PDA from enriched sample. Among the 38 isolates 15 isolates showed the CMCase activity in CMC broth. The 38 isolates were grown for 7 days. Based on microscopic characteristics the potential isolates S7, S6, S11 identified they belongs to Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, generas. The enzyme CMCase production was analyzed by checking both intracellular and extracellular CMCase activity of the isolates. The isolate S6 was selected for progress of the work based on its enzyme activity and production time. It was conformed that the enzyme produced by the isolate was extracellular. Immobilization of enzyme was performed the purified enzyme was showing 30% activity in the column at the flow rate of 1ml for 1minate. Keywords: cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulase, fungi, extracellular enzyme, Immobilization