Enhancing Biodegradation of Methyl-Parathion by Aspergilli sp.
Akanksha Khare, Ashutosh Gupta, Naveen Kango, Kailash Prasad Jaiswal
Frontiers of Agri and Animal Innovation (FAAI), Vol 1, Issue 1, 2025
The fungal strain Aspergilli isolated from Indian agricultural soil was evaluated for its ability to biodegrade methyl-parathion. The study revealed that Aspergilli showed significantly better degradation at 36 hours compared to Kosakonia strains. Using HPLC-UV, HPLC-ToF, and GC-MS analysis, it was confirmed that methyl-parathion was fully transformed within 24 hours, initially hydrolyzing into p-nitrophenol followed by further biotransformation.
Aspergillus niger demonstrated maximum methyl-parathion hydrolase (MPH) activity and produced rapid biotransformation. The pathway involved nitro group reduction, amine acetylation, and subsequent hydrolysis into N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetamide. The findings indicate a promising potential of Aspergilli in bioremediation of pesticide-contaminated soils.
