BIOPROSPECTING OF PENICILLIUM GENUS SOIL MICROFUNGI FOR PRAVASTATIN PRODUCTION

Abstract

Pravastatin is an effective cholesterol-lowering agent currently produced based on a two-step fermentation process, involving the initial production of compactin (mevastatin) and its subsequent microbial biotransformation to pravastatin. The development of a one-step fermentation process using active strains of pravastatin-producing microfungi could be a more attractive approach. Therefore, the isolation of novel fungal strains from different natural sources and their screening for pravastatin production has gained increasing importance. In this study, Penicillium genus soil microfungi were isolated from little-explored oil palm plantations. The cultures were cultivated in submerged fermentation followed by screening for pravastatin production using high-performance liquid chromatography. The selected pravastatin-producing fungal isolate was identified to species level based on cultural and morphological characteristics and using Biolog microbial identification system. As a result, 30 soil samples from 10 sampling sites in oil palm plantations of different ages were collected and examined. A total of 34 Penicillium genus isolates were recovered from these soils. From the tested fungal cultures, the isolate Penicillium sp. ESF21 was able to produce pravastatin directly with a yield of 162.33 mg/l. This previously unknown wild-type pravastatin producer was identified as Penicillium brefeldianum ESF21.