Production of Aspergillus niger catalase under various stress conditions

Abstract

The conidia of Aspergillus niger were cultured under various stress conditions. The highest yield of catalase activity was obtained after addition 1.2 M NaCl to 6-h-old culture, which improved the activity of the enzyme by about 2.8-fold in comparison with the control medium without this depressor. A significantly lower increase (1.3- to 1.7-fold) in catalase activity was reached when spores were incubated under oxidative stress (100-200 mM H2O2) or at low pH (2 and 3). Respiratory activities in A. niger culture show important changes with the osmotic stress increase.