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.