Inulinase production by a marine yeast Pichia guilliermondii and inulin hydrolysis by the crude inulinase

Marine yeast strain 1, isolated from the surface of a marine alga, was found to secrete a large amount of inulinase into the medium. This marine yeast was identified as a strain of Pichia guilliermondii according to the results of routine yeast identification and molecular methods. The crude inulinase produced by this marine yeast worked optimally at pH 6.0 and 60 degrees C. The optimal medium for inulinase production was seawater containing 4.0% (w/v) inulin and 0.5% (w/v) yeast extract, while the optimal cultivation conditions for inulinase production were pH 8.0, 28 degrees C and 170 rpm. Under the optimal conditions, over 60 U ml(-1) of inulinase activity was produced within 48 h of fermentation in shake flasks. A large amount of monosaccharides and a trace amount of oligosaccharides were detected after the hydrolysis, indicating that the crude inulinase had a high exoinulinase activity.