Biodegradation of Natural Rubber Latex of Calotropis procera by Two Endophytic Fungal Species

In this study eight species related to Aspergillus (3 species), Fusarium (1), Penicillium (1), Emericella (1), Nigrospora (1) and Trichoderma (1) were isolated from leaves and latex of Calotropis procera. Only P. chrysogenium and A. niger were able to grow on natural rubber but other species were not. The degrading ability of (Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus niger), isolated from latex of Calotropis procera was assessed. The degradation of rubber latex was determined by measuring the increase in protein content of the fungus (mg/g dry wt), reduction in molecular weight (g/mol) and inherent viscosity (dl/g) of the latex. Moreover, the degradation was also confirmed by observing the growth of these species strain using scanning electron microscopy.