Abstract
This study describes a novel dark-green spore producing strain of Trichoderma harzianum exhibiting higher activities of cellulase, hemicellulase and ligninase on specific plate assays. To assess the cellulase production in detail, basal salt medium (BSM) was supplemented with synthetic [carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), glucose, sucrose, dextrose, lactose or maltose] and natural (flours of banana, banana peel, jack seed, potato or tapioca) carbon as well as nitrogen (yeast extract, beef extract, peptone, NaNO3 or NH4NO3) sources. Temperature and pH optima were 28?C and 4, respectively for the growth of the fungus in CMC- BSM with 146 U/ml cellulase activity. Flours of potato and banana supported comparable yields of cellulase to that of CMC (147 U/ml and 168 U/ml, respectively), while sodium nitrate was the preferred nitrogen source (150 U/ml). The water soluble yellowish-green pigment (a probable siderophore) extracted from the spores showed an absorption maximum at 414 nm. To comprise, this fungus shows the complete lignocellulolytic potential which offers great industrial significance, especially for the ethanol production from the lignocellulosic waste coupled with the production of a new pigment.
Highlights
Lignocellulosic materials are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin
We wanted to explore whether T. harzianum embodies the potential for lignocellulolytic activities for which we adopted the plate assay first
Various culture parameters like pH, temperature, effects of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) concentration and of nitrogen source were studied for the cellulase production
Summary
Lignocellulosic materials are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Lignocarbohydrate degrading microbes produce various and multiple forms of cellulases, hemicellulases, pectinases and ligninases (lignases), which are increasingly used in the bioprocessing of plant materials, bio-fuel, feed, chemical feedstocks, silage and feed additives [1,2]. Cellulases from T. harzianum are less-studied, which have not yet been characterized biophysically and biochemically [11] Both bacteria and fungi are known to produce cellulase using complex cellulosic substrates, fungal enzymes are generally complete comprising all the lignocellulosic activities [12]. The fungal enzymes are usually preferred because they are extra-cellular, adaptive and usually secreted in large quantities (up to 2% by weight), during growth in submerged batch fermenters This is in sharp contrast to many bacterial enzymes which exist as tight multi-enzyme complexes, often membrane-bound, from which it is difficult to recover individual active enzyme species [13]. The appropriate physicochemical conditions play an important role in the enzyme production by microorganisms Considering these facts, the focus of the present work is to explore the lignocellulolytic potentials of a new strain of T. harzianum, coupled with the pigment produced by it
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