Cellulase and xylanase production by co-culture of Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum utilizing forest waste

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of present work was to utilize lignocellulosic forest waste for cost-effective production of commercially important enzymes i.e. cellulase and xylanase by employing co-culture of Aspergillus niger F 7 and Fusarium oxysporum F 8 in solid state fermentation (SSF). Material and Methods: Fungal strains i.e. A. niger F 7 and F. oxysporum F 8 isolated from degrading forest litter were used as co-culture and their enzyme biosynthesis on forest waste was noticed. The prominent forest wastes i.e. Toona ciliata, Celtris australis, Cedrus deodara and Pinus roxburghii were procured from local forest and alkali (NaOH) pretreatment was given to these lignocellulosic substrates to simplify the crystalline cellulose present in them for higher yield of enzymes by fungal isolates. Two types of moistening agents i.e. tap water and modified basal salt medium (BSM) were used in the substrate in the ratio of 1:2 to evaluate their effect on enzyme production under SSF.

Screening and Statistical Optimization of Physiochemical Parameters for the Production of Xylanases from Agro-Industrial Wastes

“…Xylanases are also used in paper and pulp industries, textile and bioconversion of agricultural wastes into fermentative products [3]. Xylanases are normally produced using submerged fermentation, but solid-state fermentation has gained deep interest and attention of researchers due to its high percentage conversion rate biomass to energy conservation, agro-industrial waste treatment and in production of secondary metabolites [4]. In SSF process, the substrate in solid form not only provides the essential nutrients for the growth of microorganism in the culture but it also serves as a support for the microbial cells or body.…”

Biological Risks from Long-Term Storage of Wood Chips

“…The most common diseases caused by this species are keratitis, onychomycosis, and hyalohyphomycosis [36][37]. The less frequent occurrence of the genus Fusarium was identified also in other studies [2,15,38]. In the study on birch and spruce wood from Finland, the spores of genus Fusarium and Trichoderma were identified as well.…”

Solid-State Culture for Lignocellulases Production

“…So, a greater enzyme production would be desirable in order to have a more eicient bioprocess. At this respect, it has been suggested that the cocultivation of microbes in fermentation can increase the quantity of the desirable components on a cellulose complex [27]. On the other side, some reports have shown that laccases or xylanases production can increase in a coculture mode, as happens with P. ostreatus, which increased ivefold its laccase production in a coculture with Trichoderma viride in submerged fermentation [28].…”