Enzyme profiling of lignocellulolytic fungi

Abstract

Lignocellulolytic fungi produce a variety of lignocellulolytic enzymes which are responsible for the biodegradation of lignocellulosic agro-wastes in nature. These enzymes are also useful for biofuel production, bio-bleaching, bio-pulping etc. We have isolated ecodiversely different seventeen fungi from ecorich soils of Gandhinagar region, Gujarat, India. The objective of this work was to study enzyme production profile by lignocellulolytic fungi, using wheat straw as a model agro-waste by solid state fermentation. Most of these lignocellulolytic fungi have been found to express enzyme activities like filter paper activity (FPase), endoglucanase, exocellulase, β-glucosidase, xylanase, glucoamylase, manganese peroxidase (MnP) and protease. Among these, A. niger, A. oryzae and Sporotrichum sp. produce endocellulase and xylanase in significant amount. A. niger and Sporotrichum sp. gave 52.47 U/g and 69.441 U/g endocellulase activity, and 48.107 U/g and 112.649 U/g xylanase activity, respectively.