Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose nanoplatelets as a source of sugars with the concomitant production of cellulose nanofibrils

Agave Leaves as a Substrate for the Production of Cellulases by Penicillium sp. and the Obtainment of Reducing Sugars

“…Although the parenchyma used to obtain sugars had no pretreatment, a high conversion of the biomass was achieved. e obtained percentage of hydrolysis was similar to that reported by other authors using Agave species [11,13,32]. As previously demonstrated, parenchyma was easier to hydrolyze than fibers due to its greater surface area.…”

“…It has to be noted that fibers were thoroughly washed before Penicillium was inoculated, avoiding the presence of any carbon source other than cellulose; therefore, it seems unlikely that the fungus produced alternative hydrolytic enzymes. e nanocellulose and parenchyma are known to be easier to hydrolyze as compared to fibers due to their lower crystallinity and small size that increases surface area and enzymes contact with the substrate, thus causing greater hydrolysis [13]. e slight differences in enzymatic activities between using either nanocellulose or parenchyma may be related by the structural differences among both carbon sources.…”

“…Recently, Agave species have been found to be a good source of polysaccharides (i.e. cellulose and fructans), used to obtain different products such as nanocellulose and fermentable sugars and as a substrate for enzymes production [9][10][11][12][13]. During the industrial production of fermented beverages from A. salmiana, leaves are discarded.…”

“…Previously, we isolated cellulose layers in the form of nanoplatelets with a thickness of less than 90 nm from the parenchymal cell wall of A. salmiana leaves [16]. We have also reported that these cellulose nanoplatelets are easier to hydrolyze than larger cellulose, due to their low lignin content, poor crystallinity, and greater surface area [13]. Also, several strains of enzyme-producer fungi have been isolated from Agave species [17,18].…”

Nanocellulose Production: Exploring the Enzymatic Route and Residues of Pulp and Paper Industry

“…In the specific context of NC production, the common pH range is 4–5.8, with only a few exceptions; both Li et al [ 46 ] and Paakko et al [ 63 ] already reported the utilization of a pH of 7. This range of pH values is especially relevant for the cases when enzymatic treatment is preceded by an alkaline [ 11 , 101 ] or acidic [ 65 , 102 ] treatment, intended for hemicellulose/lignin removal, or the first step of NC production; this would require intensive washing and/or pH adjustment (e.g., dialysis) prior to the addition of enzymes.…”