Abstract
The lipolytic activities of fungal isolates from a cocoa processing plant effluent were assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The fungus with the most appreciable lipolytic activity was selected and characterized morphologically. The optimum parameters for lipase production by the fungus were determined by studying the influence of carbon and nitrogen sources, pH, temperature, and incubation period, on production. Six fungal strains from the cocoa processing plant effluent which showed lipolytic activity were screened. The fungus with the most appreciable lipolytic activity was identified as Mucor sp. B6. Maximum enzyme production was obtained when the medium was incubated for 168 h, at a temperature of 30 ºC, and pH 6.0. Olive oil and yeast extract were observed to be the most suitable carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The results obtained revealed that the fungal isolate could be a promising organism for the large-scale production of the industrially important lipase.