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Esterases and lipases have been studied in a number of fungi, though very little is known about esterases from Aureobasidium pullulans especially from the African tropics. In this study, forty-two Zimbabwean isolates were screened for lipase activity on tributyrin agar. Extracellular esterase activities of seven selected isolates were studied under varying conditions using para-nitrophenol acetate as substrate. Twenty isolates (48%) showed lipolytic activity; sixteen showed negative results for lipase activity while the rest showed weak activities. Esterase activities in broth cultures ranged from 0.011-0.223 mmol/microg protein/min while activities ranged from 1.5-12.8 U/ml under solid state fermentation. The esterases were optimally active at pH 7.6-8.0, showed a temperature optimum of 35 degrees C and retained more than 50% activity at temperatures up to 60 degrees C and at pH 4.0-7.0 after 150 min. Enzyme production was optimal after 5-6 days with diammonium hydrogen phosphate as nitrogen source. Isolates showed variations in preference for carbon source for esterase production. The A. pullulans esterases differed from most fungal esterases in that they are optimally active in alkaline conditions and are active over a broad pH range.

Cellulase production by Aureobasidium pullulans from the temperate regions has remained speculative, with most studies reporting no activity at all. In the current study, tropical isolates from diverse sources were screened for cellulase production. Isolates were grown on a synthetic medium containing cell walls of Msasa tree (Brachystegia sp.) as the sole carbon source, and their cellulolytic activities were measured using carboxymethyl cellulose and alpha-cellulose as substrates. All isolates studied produced carboxymethyl cellulase (endoglucanase) and alpha-cellulase (exoglucanase) activity. Endoglucanase-specific activities of ten selected isolates ranged from 2.375 to 12.884 micromol glucose.(mg protein)-1.h-1, while activities on alpha-cellulose (exoglucanase activity) ranged from 0.293 to 22.442 micromol glucose.(mg protein)-1.day-1. Carboxymethyl cellulose induced the highest cellulase activity in the selected isolates, while the isolates showed variable responses to nitrogen sources. The current study indicates that some isolates of A. pullulans of tropical origin produce significant extracellular cellulolytic activity and that crude cell walls may be good inducers of cellulolytic activity in A. pullulans.