Cellulases from Penicillium funiculosum: production, properties and application to cellulose hydrolysis

Abstract

The objective of this work is to investigate the utilization of two abundant agricultural residues in Brazil for the production and application of cellulolytic enzymes. Different materials obtained after pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse, as well as pure synthetic substrates, were considered for cellulase production by Penicillium funiculosum. The best results for FPase (354 U L(-1)) and beta-glucosidase (1,835 U L(-1)) production were observed when sugarcane bagasse partially delignified cellulignin (PDC) was used. The crude extract obtained from PDC fermentation was then partially characterized. Optimal temperatures for cellulase action ranged from 52 to 58 degrees C and pH values of around 4.9 contributed to maximum enzyme activity. At 37 degrees C, the cellulases were highly stable, losing less than 15% of their initial activity after 23 h of incubation. There was no detection of proteases in the P. funiculosum extract, but other hydrolases, such as endoxylanases, were identified (147 U L(-1)). Finally, when compared to commercial preparations, the cellulolytic complex from P. funiculosum showed more well-balanced amounts of beta-glucosidase, endo- and exoglucanase, resulting in the desired performance in the presence of a lignocellulosic material. Cellulases from this filamentous fungus had a higher glucose production rate (470 mg L(-1) h(-1)) when incubated with corn cob than with Celluclast, GC 220 and Spezyme (312, 454 and 400 mg L(-1) h(-1), respectively).

Sugarcane bagasse as a source of carbon for enzyme production by filamentous fungi1

“…Singh et al (2009) andCastro et al (2010) found that Aspergillus species are the best producers of exo and endoglucanases, and that the concentrations of β-glucosidases produced by species of this genus are particularly high, which may represent an advantage in the process of biomass saccharifi cation.…”

Obtaining New Cultures Of Microorganisms That Produces Cellulases And Xylanases From The Sugarcane Bagasse

“…T. harzianum are frequently reported as control agent against fungal pathogens (Arantes and Saddler 2010;Banerjee et al 2010). However, recent studies have also revealed the potential of this fungus for cellulase production and industrial applications (Ahmed et al 2009;Castro et al 2010aCastro et al , 2010b. Likewise, T. harzianum has also become a promising system for xylanase production under appropriate conditions (Franco et al 2004).…”

“…Glucose concentration was determined usinga kit based on the glucose oxidase assay (Katal®) and total reducing sugar content was determined according to the method described by Miller (1959). The hydrolysis yield was determined using equation described by Maeda et al (2011) from the carbohydrate contents of SCB and PDC previously determined by Castro et al (2010a).…”

Guanophilic Fungi of Mouse-Tailed Bats

“…Among three species of Penicillium, P. funiculosum has industrial applications as it involves in cellulose production (Roberto et al, 2013). Penicillium funiculosum is able to secrete a balanced cellulasic system (Rao et al, 1988;Castro et al, 2010). The existence of P. funiculosum in the plant parts and the insects around the plants was well established (Lim and Rohrbach, 1980).…”