Effects of coumarin and sparteine on attachment to cellulose and cellulolysis by Neocallimastix frontalis RE1

Abstract

The plant secondary metabolites coumarin and sparteine reduced attachment to cellulose, cellulose solubilization, and the proportion of lactate in the fermentation products of the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis RE1. Neither compound directly inhibited the endoglucanase or lactate dehydrogenase activities of cell extracts of the fungus.