Improvement of tannase production under submerged fermentation by Aspergillus niger FBT1 isolated from a mangrove forest

Aspergillus niger FBT1, a local extracellular strain for tannase production, was isolated from soil collected from

Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in Perak, Malaysia. This fungus strain was cultivated in an Erlenmeyer flask

under a submerged fermentation system. Medium compositions play a very important role in enhancing enzyme

production during fermentation. The production of tannase by A. niger FBT1 increased significantly (95%) when

the medium compositions and various process parameters were optimized. Incubation for 72 hours (30EC, pH

7) in medium complemented with sodium nitrate was found optimal. Additional supplementation with tannic acid

(2% w/v) as the sole carbon source strongly increased the yield of the enzyme.