STUDIES ON THE ENZYMATIC AND FUNGAL DEGRADATION OF CROSS-LINKED GELATIN AND ITS GRAFT-COPOLYMERS

Glutaraldehyde cross-linked gelatin was graft copolymerized with acrylic acid, acrylamide, vinyl acetate, methyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate either individually or in combination. The enzymatic and fungal degradation of these graft copolymers with trypsin, pepsin, and mixed cultures of Aspergillus niger, Penicillium ochrochloron, Penicillium funiculosum, and Trichoderma viride was studied for short and extended periods. The weight loss suffered by the samples, the weight of biomass formed, the nitrogen content, and the pH of the culture medium were determined. With the help of these data, the extent of utilization of graft copolymers by fungi as a sole source of carbon was estimated. The samples with less than 100% grafting and with a ratio of polymethyl methacrylate content (L) to polyacrylic acid (H) content (L/H values) lower than 1.0 were readily and extensively degraded.