Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{203175,
        author = {Sonali Shrikant Patil and Kavathe Shubham Anant},
        title = {Isolation and Production of Thermostable Pectinase Enzyme from Rajwadi Hot Water Spring, Maharashtra},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {12},
        pages = {12603-12610},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=203175},
        abstract = {Hot water springs are geochemically distinctive environments that sustain thermophilic microbial communities of considerable biotechnological relevance. The Rajwadi hot water spring, part of the Tural–Rajwadi geothermal system in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra, India, maintains water temperatures between 50°C and 61°C and represents a poorly explored reservoir of thermostable enzyme-producing microorganisms. The present study was undertaken to isolate thermophilic bacteria from water and sediment samples collected at Rajwadi, screen them for pectinase production, optimize fermentation conditions, and assess the thermal stability of the crude enzyme extract. Enrichment in Nutrient Broth at 55°C yielded thermophilic colonies on Pectin Agar, from which a promising pectinase-producing isolate was selected on the basis of halo zone formation upon iodine flooding. Gram staining identified the isolate as a Gram-positive, short rod-shaped bacterium with colony characteristics — circular form, off-white colour, smooth surface, convex elevation, and mucoid consistency — consistent with Bacillus-like thermophiles documented from Indian geothermal sites [14,18]. Pectinase production was carried out in Pectin Broth at 55°C, over 72–96 hours, and the crude enzyme was harvested by centrifugation at 10,000 rpm. Enzyme activity, confirmed by the disc diffusion plate assay, demonstrated clear zones of pectin hydrolysis at 55°C, validating thermostable pectinase activity. These results establish the Rajwadi hot spring as a viable source of thermostable biocatalysts with potential applications in fruit juice clarification, textile retting, paper and pulp processing, and food biotechnology.},
        keywords = {thermostable pectinase; thermophilic bacteria; Rajwadi hot spring; geothermal; pectin degradation; Bacillus; Maharashtra; enzyme production; disc diffusion},
        month = {May},
        }