Abstract

Amani M. D. El Ahwany* and Eman A. H. Mohamed

A pseudoplastic paint manufactured by the Protal Paint Company in Alexandria, Egypt was examined for its quality to resist microbial degradation. The paint was hydrolyzed by extracellular endoglucanase of a local fungal isolate. The main hydrolysed component was the hydroxylethyl cellulose (HEC) thickener. The fungal isolate was identified as Aspergillus niger which showed a DNA monomorphism of 86% to A. niger ATCC 16404 by RAPD. A Plackett–Burman design was performed to determine the factors influencing endoglucanase activity. The analysis revealed the significance of negative effect of glucose concentration on endoglucanase specific activity.