RESUMEN
Xanthomonas campestris pv phaseoli produced an extracellular endoinulinase (9.24 +/- 0.03 U mL(-1)) in an optimized medium comprising of 3% sucrose and 2.5% tryptone. X. campestris pv. phaseoli was further subjected to ethylmethanesulfonate mutagenesis and the resulting mutant, X. campestris pv. phaseoli KM 24 demonstrated inulinase production of 22.09 +/- 0.03 U mL(-1) after 18 h, which was 2.4-fold higher than that of the wild type. Inulinase production by this mutant was scaled up using sucrose as a carbon source in a 5-L fermenter yielding maximum volumetric (21,865 U L(-1) h(-1)) and specific (119,025 U g(-1) h(-1)) productivities of inulinase after 18 h with an inulinase/invertase ratio of 2.6. A maximum FOS production of 11.9 g L(-1) h(-1) and specific productivity of 72 g g(-1) h(-1) FOS from inulin were observed in a fermenter, when the mutant was grown on medium containing 3% inulin and 2.5% tryptone. The detection of mono- and oligosaccharides in inulin hydrolysates by TLC analysis indicated the presence of an endoinulinase. This mutant has potential for large-scale production of inulinase and fructooligosaccharides.