Fungal Pectinases

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Pectin is a heteropolysaccharide found in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants. It is found along with other cell wall polymers such as cellulose and hemicelluloses. Its degradation is facilitated by about 15 different types of pectinases. Here, the focus is on the basic, applied, and production aspects of pectinases. Pectinases can be isolated from a variety of organisms such as plants, bacteria, and fungi. Of these, fungal pectinases are routinely employed in the food-processing, textile, and paper industries because of their higher activity, specificity, and stability under higher temperatures and extreme pH conditions. Specifically, this review summarizes the fungi that produce pectinases, classification and modes of action of pectinases, the methods for partial purification and characterization of pectinases, and applications of pectinases. In addition, optimization of physical and chemical conditions for improving the production of fungal pectinases in solid state fermentation is described in detail.