Production and characterization of a haloalkaline pectinase from Halomonas pantellerinsis strain SSL8 isolated from Sambhar lake, Rajasthan

Haloalkaliphilic bacterium producing a pectinase was isolated from the Sambhar soda lake, Rajasthan, India. Chemical composition of water sample was analyzed. Pectinase production was studied in submerged fermentation, an appropriate medium for the growth and production was orange peel powder. The bacterium was gram negative and identified as Halomonas pantellerinsis strain SSL8 using biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequencing. It was able to grow and produced pectinase that was stable and active at high pH, temperature and high NaCl concentration. Maximum pectinase production from isolate was observed after 120hr of incubation (0.70U/mL). The maximum pectinase activity was found at 9 pH (0.79U/mL), 40oC Temperature (0.70U/mL) and 10% NaCl concentration (0.85U/ mL). Partially purified pectinase enzyme was used for the fruit juice extraction and clarification.