Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

This chapter encompasses various microbial sources of xylanase enzyme as well as its production conditions, yield, production processes, optimization parameters, characterization with respect to pH and temperature optima, molecular weight, kinetic parameters and also various industrial aspects of the enzyme. Xylanolytic enzymes are the upcoming enzymes of commercial sector. Production of extracellular xylanase through industrially suitable microbial sources is highly advantageous because of quick synthesis in copious quantity and easy product recovery. Also, since biocatalysts are highly specific for their substrates and the microbial cells are eminently biodegradable, they offer complete environment friendly solutions for various industrial processes. Various production parameters viz. inoculum age and size, pH of fermentation media, incubation temperature, incubation time, carbon and nitrogen sources etc. need to be modeled for obtaining maximum yield of enzyme with least economic input. Characterization of enzymes with respect to Km and Vmax values, pH and temperature optima as well as their stability data at different pH and temperatures is necessary to reveal the suitability of enzymes for industrial application purposes. Lot of research is being done to explore industrially suitable xylanase producing microorganisms. The importance of this enzyme can be judged from the quantum of work done during last two decades, as reported in this review.

Keywords: xylanase, solid state fermentation, submerged fermentation, purification, industrial applications