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Background A rise in the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has been reported worldwide. This nationwide study aimed to describe the secular trends and current incidence of CH in Finland. Methods Two independent study cohorts, a national and a regional, were collected from national registers and patient records. The national cohort represents all CH cases born in Finland between 1994 and 2017. Birth data, results of the screening test, and the incidence of CH were reviewed. Results Between 1994 and 2017, 1,400,028 children were born in Finland. Of these children, 503 were diagnosed with primary CH (incidence 1:2783). Male-to-female sex ratio was 1:2.0. The nationwide incidence was 33 cases per 100,000 live births between 1994 and 1999, 38 cases per 100,000 live births between 2000 and 2005, 40 cases per 100,000 live births between 2006 and 2011, and 33 cases per 100,000 live births between 2012 and 2017. In the regional cohort (n = 139), the incidence of transient CH was 3.6%. The incidence of mild, moderate, and severe CH remained constant. Conclusions In Finland, the incidence of CH has not changed during the 24-year study period. Impact As opposed to recent reports worldwide, the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism has not changed between 1994 and 2017 in Finland. The proportions of mild, moderate, and severe congenital hypothyroidism did not change significantly over the study period. Lowering the TSH cut-off limit or increasing immigration did not affect the incidence rate of primary congenital hypothyroidism in Finland.

A thin film structure, which comprises a substrate with a thin conductive layer containing an oxidizing enzyme mixed with an electron transfer mediator. The mixture of the enzyme and the mediator contains a conductive ink which comprises an electrically conductive component selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, metal particles, carbon particles and inherently conductive polymers and mixtures thereof and, optionally, a binder. The thin layer is protected against wetting to allow for its storage in dry conditions, and it is sufficiently porous to allow for immediate activation of the oxidizing enzyme when contacted with an aqueous solution.Patent family as of 2.9.2021DE602007047391D1 20160915 DE200760047391T 20070619DE602007059711 D1 20200116 DE200760059711T 20070619 EP2036151 A2 20090318 EP20070765931 20070619 EP2036151 B1 20160810 EP20070765931 20070619 EP3118919 A1 20170118 EP20160183293 20070619 EP3118919 B1 20200101 EP20160183293 20070619 FI20060602 A0 20060619 FI20060000602 20060619 FI20061064 A0 20061201 FI20060001064 20061201 US2009280408 AA 20091112 US20070305351 20070619 US8758936 BB 20140624 US20070305351 20070619 WO07147947 A2 20071227 WO2007FI50377 20070619 WO07147947 A3 20080522 WO2007FI50377 20070619Link to current patent family on right

Supplementation of xylanase (XYL) has been found to synergistically improve the performance of cellulases (CEL) in the hydrolysis of lignocelluloses. However, the effect of xylan on the synergistic effects of XYL and CEL is still unclear. In this work, the effect of xylan on the synergy between CEL and XYL was investigated. Xylan content in corn stover was generally a good indicator of the degree of the synergism between CEL and XYL. Strongest synergism was observed in the hydrolysis of cellulose in corn stover with the highest xylan contents. A more evident synergistic effect of CEL in xylan hydrolysis was observed in the substrates with low original xylan content. It was also found that the ratio of cellulose to xylan in substrates correlated to the synergism between the two types of enzymes. The results indicated that supplementation of XYL with CEL was most effective in the hydrolysis of corn stover with the highest xylan content. For efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocelluloses, both cellulases and xylanase were important because cellulose and xylan coved each other and these enzymes could improve their performance each other in the hydrolysis of cellulose and xylan in lignocelluloses.

The role of CBM in two fungal model cellulase systems, consisting of Cel7A and Cel5A, from Trichoderma reesei and Thermoascus aurantiacus , were compared in the hydrolysis of various substrates. For comparison, family-1 CBM’s were introduced to the T. aurantiacus and removed from the T. reesei enzymes. Especially at high dry matter consistencies of lignocellulosic substrates, pretreated wheat straw and spruce, the T. aurantiacus enzymes lacking CBM outperformed the enzymes carrying the CBM. In these conditions, the CBM-less enzymes from both organisms obviously recognized and bound to the substrate at higher probability than in dilute systems. Avoiding the unproductive binding to lignin caused by the CBMs obviously enhanced the hydrolytic performance. The lignin binding effect was, however, not entirely caused by the CBM, but also by the different structures and affinities of the core enzymes to lignin. Due to decreased binding, the CBM-less enzymes would allow reuse, potentially decreasing hydrolysis costs.

The hydrolysis of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), consisting of individual cellulose fibrils, was followed using small-angle scattering techniques in order to reveal changes in the substrate structure caused by cellulose degrading enzymes. In particular, the nanoscale structure of the network of cellulose fibrils was characterized with the combination of small-angle neutron scattering and small-angle x-ray scattering. In the nanocellulose with higher xylan content, the interfibrillar distance was shown to remain unchanged during enzymatic degradation, whereas the distance increased in the nanocellulose with lower xylan content. The limiting effect of xylan on the hydrolysis and a faster hydrolysis of the more thoroughly fibrillated segments of the NFC network could be observed. Despite the extensive fibrillation of the raw material, however, the hydrolysis was eventually limited by the aggregated and heterogeneous structure of the substrate.

Commingled composites of polylactide (PLA) and seed flax fibers were prepared by carding and needle pressing of PLA and flax fibers to nonwoven mats followed by compression molding. The nonwoven mats were treated using two different types of cellulolytic enzymes, namely cellobiohydrolases and endoglucanases. Both the enzymes changed the properties of the seed flax fibers surface. The resulting composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy, mechanical testing and thermal analysis. The effects of these modifications were minor on the thermal and mechanical properties measured. However, in the scanning electron micrographs, a difference in the fiber pull-out behavior of the untreated and treated fibers was observed. Treated seed flax fibers showed an improvement in adhesion with PLA.

The role of xylan as a limiting factor in the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose was studied by hydrolysing nanocellulose samples prepared by mechanical fibrillation of birch pulp with varying xylan content. Analyzing the nanocelluloses and their hydrolysis residues with dynamic FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that a certain fraction of xylan remained tightly attached to cellulose fibrils despite partial hydrolysis of xylan with xylanase prior to pulp fibrillation and that this fraction remained in the structure during the hydrolysis of nanocellulose with cellulase mixture as well. Thus, a loosely bound fraction of xylan was predicted to have been more likely removed by purified xylanase. The presence of loosely bound xylan seemed to limit the hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose, indicated by an increase in cellulose crystallinity and by preserved crystal width measured with wide-angle X-ray scattering. Removing loosely bound xylan led to a proportional hydrolysis of xylan and cellulose with the cellulase mixture.

The impact of pectinases in the hydrolysis of fresh, steam-exploded and ensiled hemp was investigated and the synergy between cellulases, pectinases and xylanase in the hydrolysis was evaluated. About half; 59.3% and 46.1% of pectin in the steam-exploded and ensiled hemp, respectively, could be removed by a low dosage of pectinases used. Pectinases were more efficient than xylanase in the hydrolysis of fresh and ensiled hemp whereas xylanase showed higher hydrolytic efficiency than the pectinase preparation used in the hydrolysis of steam-exploded hemp. Clear synergistic action between cellulases and xylanase could be observed in the hydrolysis of steam-exploded hemp. Supplementation of pectinase resulted in clear synergism with cellulases in the hydrolysis of all hemp substrates. Highest hydrolysis yield of steam-exploded hemp was obtained in the hydrolysis with cellulases and xylanase. In the hydrolysis of ensiled hemp, the synergistic action between cellulases and pectinases was more obvious for efficient hydrolysis.

The enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of reed canary grass, harvested in the spring or autumn, and barley straw were studied. Steam pretreated materials were efficiently hydrolysed by commercial enzymes with a dosage of 10–20 FPU/g d.m. Reed canary grass harvested in the spring was hydrolysed more efficiently than the autumn-harvested reed canary grass. Additional β-glucosidase improved the release of glucose and xylose during the hydrolysis reaction. The hydrolysis rate and level of reed canary grass with a commercial Trichoderma reesei cellulase could be improved by supplementation of purified enzymes. The addition of CBH II improved the hydrolysis level by 10% in 48 hours’ hydrolysis. Efficient mixing was shown to be important for hydrolysis already at 10% dry matter consistency. The highest ethanol concentration (20 g/l) and yield (82%) was obtained with reed canary grass at 10% d.m. consistency.

Hemicelluloses have been found to be physical barriers in the hydrolysis of cellulose, and prevent the access of enzymes to cellulose surface. In addition, soluble hemicelluloses may strongly inhibit the cellulase activity. In this work, birchwood xylan clearly inhibited the enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw, Avicel and nanocellulose by cellulases. Hydrolysis efficiencies of cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI, from Thermoascus aurantiacus), cellobiohydrolase II (CBHII, from Trichoderma reesei) and endoglucanase II (from T. aurantiacus) were clearly inhibited by birchwood xylan, respectively. The strongest inhibitory effect of birchwood xylan was observed on the hydrolysis of Avicel by CBHI and CBHII, as a dramatically decreased formation of the main product, cellobiose. After additions of soluble and insoluble oat spelt xylan, cleaved cellobiose units by CBHI from cellulose chain decreased from 8 to 4 and 6, respectively. The results in this work demonstrated that xylans clearly inhibited the hydrolysis efficiencies of both endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase.

Pectinolytic enzymes, steam explosion and alkaline treatment were used to assess the role of pectin for the accessibility of hydrolytic enzymes in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass. Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), a potential energy crop especially in boreal climate with a low need of fertilizers, was used in the study either as untreated or anaerobically preserved raw material. Addition of pectinases increased the hydrolysis yield by 26%, 54%, and 64% from the theoretical carbohydrates of untreated, acid, and alkali-preserved materials, respectively. Steam explosion and hot alkali treatment increased the conversion of the total carbohydrates by 78% and 60%, respectively, compared to the untreated hemp. Elevated separation of cells within the hemp stalk tissues and an increased surface area was revealed after hot alkali or pectinase treatments, contributing to the increased conversion to sugars by commercial enzymes.

The thermophilic fungi Thermomyces lanuginosus, Malbranchea cinnamomea, Myceliophthora fergusii and the thermotolerant Aspergillus terreus were cultivated on various carbon sources, and hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzyme profiles were evaluated. All fungi could grow on locust bean galactomannan (LBG), Solka floc, wheat bran and pectin, except T. lanuginosus, which failed to utilize LBG for growth. Different levels of cellulase and hemicellulase activities were produced by these fungal strains. Depending on the carbon source, variable ratios of thermostable hydrolytic enzymes were obtained, which may be useful in various applications. All strains were found to secrete xylanolytic and mannanolytic enzymes. Generally, LBG was the most efficient carbon source to induce mannanase activities, although T. lanuginosus was able to produce mannanase only on wheat bran as a carbon source. Xylanolytic activities were usually highest on wheat bran medium, but in contrast to other investigated fungi, xylanase production by M. fergusii was enhanced on pectin medium. Preliminary thermostability screening indicated that among the investigated species, thermotolerant glycosidases can be found. Some of the accessory activities, including the α-arabinosidase activity, were surprisingly high. The capability of the produced enzymes to improve the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic pretreated substrate was evaluated and revealed potential for these enzymes.

The stability and reactivity of five different thermostable fungal laccases from the species Trametes hirsuta, Melanocarpus albomyces, Thielavia arenaria (two laccases) and Chaetomium thermophilum were investigated in the presence of organic solvents. Oxidations of small organic phenolic compounds, matairesinol and 7-hydroxymatairesinol lignans, as well as synthetic lignin dehydrogenation polymer DHP in aqueous solutions of ethanol and propylene glycol solvents were investigated using analysis of oxidation rates, high performance liquid chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. The laccases showed variability in their solvent tolerance. The redox potential of the laccases appeared not to be the main factor determining the efficiency of the polymerization reactions of complex phenolic model compounds in aqueous organic solutions. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis of laccase treated DHP in 50% propylene glycol indicated that the formation of new biphenylic 5–5′ structures was favored in laccase-catalyzed radical coupling reactions over the other possible reactions through the phenolic groups forming new 5—O—4 ether bonds. The polymerization reactions took place even at high concentrations of solvents, which already inhibited the enzyme activity, encouraging enzymatic upgrading of lignin in organic solvents to be studied further. Thus, it was confirmed that thermostable laccases are potential enzymes for various industrial applications where organic solvents are required for the reaction systems.

Three annual plant species, maize, hemp and faba bean were tested for suitability as dedicated biomass crops in Boreal conditions. Biomass yields were 10–15 t ha -1 . The crops were analyzed for their composition and tested as raw materials for conversion to methane and to fermentable sugars. The methane yield was 379 ± 16 Ndm 3 kg −1 VS −1 from maize, 387 ± 20 Ndm 3 kg −1 VS −1 from faba bean and 239 ± 9 Ndm 3 kg −1 VS −1 from hemp. Based on the yield per hectare, maize proved to be the most potential raw material source for methane production. Analogous to methane production, maize was the most productive raw material also in standard hydrolysis tests, with a conversion yield of about 80% of the theoretical sugars. Based on the amount of carbohydrates, the highest theoretical yield per hectare was obtained with hemp. However, considering all parameters, including the need for weeding and fertilizers, all three crops studied proved to be attractive options for cultivation in boreal conditions as well as being used as energy crops in boreal climate.

The impact of xylan and glucomannan hydrolysis on cellulose hydrolysis was studied on five pretreated softwood substrates with different xylan and glucomannan contents, both varying from 0.2% to 6.9%, using mixtures of purified enzymes. The supplementation of pure cellulase mixture with non-specific endoglucanase TrCel7B and xylanase TrXyn11 enhanced the hydrolysis of all substrates, except the steam pretreated spruce, by more than 50%. The addition of endo-β-mannanase increased the overall hydrolysis yield by 20–25%, liberating significantly more glucose than theoretically present in glucomannan. When supplemented together, xylanolytic and mannanolytic enzymes acted synergistically with cellulases. Moreover, a linear correlation was observed between the hydrolysis of polysaccharides, irrespective of the composition, indicating that glucomannan and xylan form a complex network of polysaccharides around the cellulosic fibres extending throughout the lignocellulosic matrix. Both hemicellulolytic enzymes are crucial as accessory enzymes when designing efficient mixtures for the total hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates containing both hemicelluloses.

The adsorption of purified Trichoderma reesei cellulases (TrCel7A, TrCel6A and TrCel5A) and xylanase TrXyn11 and Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase AnCel3A was studied in enzyme mixture during hydrolysis of two pretreated lignocellulosic materials, steam pretreated and catalytically delignified spruce, along with microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel). The enzyme mixture was compiled to resemble the composition of commercial cellulase preparations. The hydrolysis was carried out at 35 °C to mimic the temperature of the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Enzyme adsorption was followed by analyzing the activity and the protein amount of the individual free enzymes in the hydrolysis supernatant. Most enzymes adsorbed quickly at early stages of the hydrolysis and remained bound throughout the hydrolysis, although the conversion reached was fairly high. Only with the catalytically oxidized spruce samples, the bound enzymes started to be released as the hydrolysis degree reached 80%. The results based on enzyme activities and protein assay were in good accordance.

Lignin‐derived inhibition is a major obstacle restricting the enzymatic hydrolysis of cell wall polysaccharides especially with softwood lignocellulosics. Enzyme adsorption on lignin is suggested to contribute to the inhibitory effect of lignin. The interaction of cellulases with softwood lignin was studied in the present work with commercial Trichoderma reesei cellulases (Celluclast) and lignin‐rich residues isolated from steam pretreated softwood (SPS) by enzymatic and acid hydrolysis. Both lignin preparations inhibited the hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and adsorbed the major cellulases present in the commercial cellulase mixture. The adsorption phenomenon was studied at low temperature (4°C) and at the typical hydrolysis temperature (45°C) by following activities of free and lignin‐bound enzymes. Severe inactivation of the lignin‐bound enzymes was observed at 45°C, however at 4°C the enzymes retained well their activity. Furthermore, SDS–PAGE analysis of the lignin‐bound enzymes indicated that very strong interactions form between the residue and the enzymes at 45°C, because the enzymes were not released from the residue in the electrophoresis. These results suggest that heat‐induced denaturation may take place on the surface of softwood lignin at the hydrolysis temperature.

The stability and activity of the low redox potential Melanocarpus albomyces laccase (MaL) in various aqueous organic (acetone, ethanol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether) solvent systems was studied spectrophotometrically using 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (2,6-DMP) as substrate. In addition, reactivity of the enzyme with two lignans; matairesinol (MR) and 7-hydroxymatairesinol (HMR), was examined by oxygen consumption measurements in the most potential aqueous organic solvent systems. Polymerization of the lignans by MaL was verified by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Polymerization of the higher molecular weight lignin model compound, dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs), was studied by SEC. The solubilities of industrial softwood and hardwood kraft lignins were evaluated as parameters for investigation of enzymatic modification in aqueous organic solvent systems. The functioning of MaL in different aqueous organic media was excellent. Propylene glycol and diethylene glycol monomethyl ether were better solvents than ethanol or acetone in enzymatic oxidations. Even though they were the best solvents for enzyme oxidation, ethanol and propylene glycol were selected for further tests because of their different physicochemical properties. The results obtained in this study for the use of laccase-catalysed reactions in organic solvents to improve the efficiency of lignin oxidation may be exploited in several applications and areas in which the solubility of the reactants or products is a limiting factor.

The presence of lignin is known to reduce the efficiency of the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic raw materials. On the other hand, solubilization of hemicellulose, especially of xylan, is known to enhance the hydrolysis of cellulose. The enzymatic hydrolysis of spruce, recognized among the most challenging lignocellulosic substrates, was studied by commercial and purified enzymes from Trichoderma reesei. Previously, the enzymatic hydrolysis of steam pretreated spruce has been studied mainly by using commercial enzymes and no efforts have been taken to clarify the bottlenecks by using purified enzyme components.Steam-pretreated spruce was hydrolyzed with a mixture of Celluclast and Novozym 188 to obtain a hydrolysis residue, expectedly containing the most resistant components. The pretreated raw material and the hydrolysis residue were analyzed for the enrichment of structural bottlenecks during the hydrolysis. Lignin was removed from these two materials with chlorite delignification method in order to eliminate the limitations caused by lignin. Avicel was used for comparison as a known model substrate. Mixtures of purified enzymes were used to investigate the hydrolysis of the individual carbohydrates: cellulose, glucomannan and xylan in the substrates. The results reveal that factors limiting the hydrolysis are mainly due to the lignin, and to a minor extent by the lack of accessory enzymes. Removal of lignin doubled the hydrolysis degree of the raw material and the residue, and reached close to 100% of the theoretical within 2 days. The presence of xylan seems to limit the hydrolysability, especially of the delignified substrates. The hydrolysis results also revealed significant hemicellulose impurities in the commonly used cellulose model substrate, making it questionable to use Avicel as a model cellulose substrate for hydrolysis experiments.

Conversion of lignocellulosic substrates is limited by several factors, in terms of both the enzymes and the substrates. Better understanding of the hydrolysis mechanisms and the factors determining their performance is crucial for commercial lignocelluloses-based processes. Enzymes produced on various carbon sources (Solka Floc 200, lactose and steam-pre-treated corn stover) by Trichoderma reesei Rut C30 were characterised by their enzyme profile and hydrolytic performance. The results showed that there was a clear correlation between the secreted amount of xylanase and mannanase enzymes and that their production was induced by the presence of xylan in the carbon source. Co-secretion of α-arabinosidase and α-galactosidase was also observed. Secretion of β-glucosidase was found to be clearly dependent on the composition of the carbon source, and in the case of lactose, 2-fold higher specific activity was observed compared to Solka Floc and steam-pre-treated corn stover. Hydrolysis experiments showed a clear connection between glucan and xylan conversion and highlighted the importance of β-glucosidase and xylanase activities. When hydrolysis was performed using additional purified β-glucosidase and xylanase, the addition of β-glucosidase was found to significantly improve both the xylan and glucan conversion.

Three thermostable neutral cellulases from Melanocarpus albomyces, a 20-kDa endoglucanase (Cel45A), a 50-kDa endoglucanase (Cel7A), and a 50-kDa cellobiohydrolase (Cel7B) heterologously produced in a recombinant Trichoderma reesei were purified and studied in hydrolysis (50 °C, pH 6.0) of crystalline and amorphous cellulose. To improve their efficiency, M. albomyces cellulases naturally harboring no cellulose-binding module (CBM) were genetically modified to carry the CBM of T. reesei CBHI/Cel7A, and were studied under similar experimental conditions. Hydrolysis performance and product profiles were used to evaluate hydrolytic features of the investigated enzymes.Each cellulase proved to be active against the tested substrates; the cellobiohydrolase Cel7B had greater activity than the endoglucanases Cel45A and Cel7A against crystalline cellulose, whereas in the case of amorphous substrate the order was reversed. Evidence of synergism was observed when mixtures of the novel enzymes were applied in a constant total protein dosage. Presence of the CBM improved the hydrolytic potential of each enzyme in all experimental configurations; it had a greater effect on the endoglucanases Cel45A and Cel7A than the cellobiohydrolase Cel7B, especially against crystalline substrate. The novel cellobiohydrolase performed comparably to the major cellobiohydrolase of T. reesei (CBHI/Cel7A) under the applied experimental conditions.

Laccases belong to the family of blue multicopper oxidases, which catalyze the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water concomitantly through the oxidation of phenolic and other aromatic compounds. They are potential enzymes in many applications including biofuel cells to produce electricity through chemical reactions. We have tested here the incorporation of a high redox potential laccase from Trametes hirsuta in different types of conducting inks to produce dry printed enzyme electrode layers. ABTS was used as the redox mediator to shuttle the electrons between the surface of the cathodic electrode and the enzyme active sites. Our results demonstrate that the dry printed layers maintained their enzymatic activity even after several months. Furthermore, fuel cell prototypes could be constructed utilising an optimized printed laccase–ABTS layer as the cathode, and printed Zn layer as the anode. Under humidity controlled conditions, a cell voltage between 0.8 and 0.6 V could be maintained for several days under a 2.2 kΩ load. In addition, a corresponding stand-alone cell could be constructed where the cell voltage was maintained for 15 h under a load. These results offer a good starting point for further development of mass-producible, completely enzymatic printed biofuel cells.

Xyloglucan is one of the major components in the primary cell wall of higher plants. It is intimately associated with cellulose chains, forming the load-bearing network of the cell wall. Enzymatic degradation of the xyloglucan polymer by xyloglucanases could potentially improve the overall hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates by enabling cellulases to hydrolyze the cellulose polymer more efficiently due to the increased surface area. In order to evaluate the role of xyloglucan in the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocelluloses, 11 different pretreated cellulosic substrates were hydrolyzed using different combinations of purified cellobiohydrolases I and II, endoglucanase II, xyloglucanases of Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus β-glucosidase. Xyloglucanase activity improved the total hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates in general. These results indicate that this enzyme can be used to enhance total hydrolysis, especially in cases when pretreatment of the lignocellulosic substrate is not optimal.

As part of the effort to find better cellulases for bioethanol production processes, we were looking for novel GH‐7 family cellobiohydrolases, which would be particularly active on insoluble polymeric substrates and participate in the rate‐limiting step in the hydrolysis of cellulose. The enzymatic properties were studied and are reported here for family 7 cellobiohydrolases from the thermophilic fungi Acremonium thermophilum, Thermoascus aurantiacus, and Chaetomium thermophilum. The Trichoderma reesei Cel7A enzyme was used as a reference in the experiments. As the native T. aurantiacus Cel7A has no carbohydrate‐binding module (CBM), recombinant proteins having the CBM from either the C. thermophilum Cel7A or the T. reesei Cel7A were also constructed. All these novel acidic cellobiohydrolases were more thermostable (by 4–10°C) and more active (two‐ to fourfold) in hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) at 45°C than T. reesei Cel7A. The C. thermophilum Cel7A showed the highest specific activity and temperature optimum when measured on soluble substrates. The most effective enzyme for Avicel hydrolysis at 70°C, however, was the 2‐module version of the T. aurantiacus Cel7A, which was also relatively weakly inhibited by cellobiose. These results are discussed from the structural point of view based on the three‐dimensional homology models of these enzymes.

Modified wood fibres open new perspectives to create value-added products based on renewable raw materials. An interesting option is the targeted modification of fibre surfaces by oxidative enzymes. This two-stage functionalisation method consists of enzymatic activation of fibre surfaces followed by addition of radicalised compounds reacting preferentially by radical coupling. In this work, the activation of bleached and unbleached softwood TMPs with laccase isolated from Trametes hirsuta was studied. The formation and stability of the radicals were studied by EPR spectroscopy. The reaction of the radicals with 3-hydroxytyramine hydrochloride and the type of chemical linkages were investigated. EPR, ESCA and FTIR spectroscopy were used for analysis. Bleached TMP was radicalised more efficiently than unbleached TMP. The radicals were unstable, as 90% of them were quenched within a few hours. Their lifetime was, however, found to be adequately long for performing coupling reactions. Bonding of new compounds to pulps via radical reactions thus seems to be possible.

Cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes were produced by Trichoderma reesei RUT C30 on steam pretreated spruce, willow, corn stover and delignified lignocellulose (Solka Floc), as a reference. The enzymes produced were characterized by protein and various enzyme activity measurements. On steam pretreated corn stover higher cellulolytic enzyme activities were reached than on Solka Floc, while the activities obtained on steam pretreated spruce and willow were considerably lower. The produced and two commercial cellulases (Celluclast 1.5 L and Econase CE) were compared by determining specific activities. There were minor differences among the enzymes corresponding to their specific cellulase activities. In contrast, within hemicellulase and β-glucosidase activities, the differences were found to be more significant. It should be also noted that commercial cellulases had considerably higher specific acetyl xylan esterase activities than the produced enzymes. According to subsequent hydrolysis experiments, performed to characterize the produced enzyme complexes to evaluate their applicability for hydrolysis and enzyme production, it seems that the application of the enzyme that was produced on the same substrate as was used for hydrolysis can be advantageous in the case of some substrates. As a result, these experiments demonstrated that pretreated corn stover is a good substrate both for enzyme production and hydrolysis, since high cellulolytic activities could be reached using it as carbon source. Moreover, high sugar yields could be obtained in the hydrolysis by the enzyme produced on steam pretreated corn stover.

In this paper the oxidation of milled wood lignin (MWL), catalysed by three enzymes, i.e. laccase, tyrosinase and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied. The oxidation was followed by measuring the consumption of O2 during laccase and tyrosinase treatment and of H2O2 during HRP treatment. Both laccase and HRP were found to oxidise lignin effectively, whereas the effect of tyrosinase was negligible. The changes in MWL molecular-weight distributions caused in the reactions were analysed by gel permeation chromatography. Both laccase and HRP treatments were found to polymerise MWL. Peroxidase treatment was found to decrease the amount of phenolic hydroxyls in MWL, whereas no such effect could be detected in the laccase-treated sample. Both laccase and HRP treatments were, however, found to increase the amount of conjugated structures in MWL. The formation of phenoxy radicals during the treatments was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Phenoxy radicals were detected in both laccase and HRP-treated samples. The amount of the formed phenoxy radicals was found to be essentially constant during the detected time (i.e. 20–120 min after the addition of enzyme).

This presentation demonstrates that a laccase from the thermophilic fungus Melanocarpus albomyces binds effectively to lignocellulose, Avicel and bacterial microcrystalline cellulose (BMCC). Binding to cellulose has previously been demonstrated for enzymes involved in the modification of lignocellulose, however, the adsorption of a laccase on pure cellulose has not been reported before. Binding on lignin was also studied but no adsorption on alkali lignin was observed. A binding isotherm was established with bacterial microcrystalline cellulose. The data points fitted the Langmuir type one-site binding model well, and the binding parameters for maximum binding capacity (Bmax) and relative partition coefficient (Kp) were calculated from the isotherm. The Bmax of 1.94 mol/g was relatively low, as compared to the values for various cellulases, whereas the Kp of 320 1/g, which describes the binding affinity, was clearly higher than the values reported for cellulases. The combination of high affinity and quite low capacity of binding suggests that M. albomyces laccase is able to bind very effectively to BMCC, but only on relatively few binding sites. Furthermore, the binding was shown to be reversible and not influenced by non-specific, protein or 0.1-0.5 M Na2SO4. The binding of T. hirsuta and Mauginiella sp. laccases was also studied. No adsorption was detected on BMCC or softwood, suggesting that adsorption onto cellulose is not a general feature among laccases.

Screening of a foetal brain genomic DNA library allowed to isolate a 10-kb fragment of the gene encoding the human α 2B -adrenergic receptor, that contained 5.5 kb of the 5′-flanking region, the open reading frame and 2.9 kb of the 3′-flanking region. The 1-kb fragment upstream from the start codon was rich in GC, lacked consensus TATA or CAAT box, but contained several Sp1-binding sites. Other potential cis -regulatory elements found in the 5′-flanking region included AP2, USF, Stat-6, NFκB and Olf-1. A single canonical polyadenylation signal (AATAAA) was found at position +3252/+3257 and the polyadenylation site was 3274 nucleotides downstream from ATG. Transfection experiments with chimeric luciferase contructs containing various truncated fragments of the 5′-region showed that the fragment −3160/+3 exhibited promoter activity in all tested cell lines and permitted the definition of a minimal 200-bp promoter (−603/−411) containing three putative Sp1-binding sites and two initiator elements. Transcriptional activity of this region was inhibited by the addition of mithramycin, a specific inhibitor of Sp1 binding to GC-rich sequences. The search for sequence variants within a fragment covering 1.7 kb of 5′-flanking region and the coding region allowed us to identify five novel single nucleotide polymorphisms. Interestingly, the G/C substitution at position −98 relative to the start codon was common and in complete linkage with a previously identified insertion/deletion polymorphism in the coding region which was showed to affect α 2B -adrenergic receptor function. Based on transfection data and computer-assisted sequence analysis, the −98 G/C single nucleotide polymorphism was located within a portion of the 5′-UTR (−127/+3) affecting luciferase activity and it created additional putative binding site for Sp1. However, G/C substitution had no significant incidence on promoter activity in BHK-21 or HeLa cells.

Phenolic compounds were studied as natural preservatives against wood decaying fungi. Vanillin and tannin decreased the growth of the test organisms Coniophora puteana and Coriolus versicolor and decreased the weight losses caused by these organisms in wood blocks. Both compounds were, however, leached in standard washing tests, and higher weight losses were observed in leached samples. Enzymatic polymerization with laccase was used as a means of binding the phenolic preservatives into the wood. Using an optimized laccase dosage, wood impregnation with enzymatically polymerized vanillin reduced the weight loss by C. puteana from 25% to 5%.

Cellulose acetate (CA) was found to be a substrate of several acetyl xylan esterases (AXE). Eight AXE from different carbohydrate esterase (CE) families were tested on their activity against CA with a degree of substitution of 0.7 and 1.4. The classification of the AXEs into CE families according to their structure by hydrophobic cluster analysis followed clearly their activity against CA. Within the same CE family similar, and between the CE families different deacetylation behaviours could be observed. Furthermore, each esterase family showed a distinct regioselective mode of action. The CE 1 family enzymes regioselectively cleaved the substituents in C2- and C3-position, while CE 5 family enzymes only cleaved the acetyl groups in C2-position. CE 4 family enzymes seemed to interact only with the substituents in C3-position. Evidence was found that the deacetylation reaction of the CE 1 family enzymes proceeded faster in C2- than in C3-position of CA. The enzymes were able to cleave acetyl groups from fully substituted anhydroglucose units.

Bacterial strains were isolated from spruce wood chips and their ability to reduce the content of wood extractives was studied. Strains were screened by cultivation on liquid media containing wood extractives as the major nutrient. Some bacterial species could decrease remarkably the amount of extractives in the liquid media and reduced the amount of triglycerides, steryl esters and total extractives by 100, 20 and 39%, respectively. Spruce wood chips were treated in controlled conditions with selected bacteria to test their effects on the chips. All the bacteria grew well on wood chips. The effect of bacterial metabolism on wood extractives was significant. Bacterial treatments reduced the amount of lipophilic extractives by 16-38% in 1 week of treatment and up to 67% in 2 weeks. The most efficient strain removed 90, 66 and 50% of triglycerides, steryl esters and resin acids, respectively, in 2 weeks. These results indicate that bacteria may be promising agents for the removal of extractives for improved pulping and papermaking processes.

A laccase from the ascomycete Mauginiella sp. was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and biochemically characterized. The molecular mass of the laccase was 63 kDa as determined by mass spectrometry and it existed as six isoforms with isoelectric points in the range of 4.8–6.4. The laccase showed activity towards the typical substrates: 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulphonate (ABTS), guaiacol, dimethoxyphenol (2,6-DMP), and syringaldazine. The pH optima on guaiacol, 2,6-DMP and ABTS were 4, 3.5 and 2.4, respectively. The enzyme was strongly, 98%, inhibited by 1 mM NaN3 and 88% by 1 mM KCN. The laccase was stable at neutral pH, retaining 80% activity after 24 h at pH 6–8. The enzyme was sensitive to high temperatures: the half-life at 70 °C was only 3 min. A fragment of the laccase gene was isolated and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The laccase gene showed high identity to the laccase genes lcc1 and lcc2 of the basidiomycetes Trametes versicolor and Trametes villosa, respectively.

In the hydrolysis of softwood, significant amounts of manno-oligosaccharides (MOS) are released from mannan, the major hemicelluloses in softwood. However, the impact of MOS on the performance of cellulases is not yet clear. In this work, the effect of mannan and MOS in cellulose hydrolysis by cellulases, especially cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) from Thermoascus aurantiacus (Ta Cel7A), was studied. The glucose yield of Avicel decreased with an increasing amount of added mannan. Commercial cellulases contained mannan hydrolysing enzymes, and β-glucosidase played an important role in mannan hydrolysis. Addition of 10 mg/ml mannan reduced the glucose yield of Avicel (at 20 g/l) from 40.1 to 24.3%. No inhibition of β-glucosidase by mannan was observed. The negative effects of mannan and MOS on the hydrolytic action of cellulases indicated that the inhibitory effect was at least partly attributed to the inhibition of Ta Cel7A (CBHI), but not on β-glucosidase. Kinetic experiments showed that MOS were competitive inhibitors of the CBHI from T. aurantiacus , and mannobiose had a stronger inhibitory effect on CBHI than mannotriose or mannotetraose. For efficient hydrolysis of softwood, it was necessary to add supplementary enzymes to hydrolyze both mannan and MOS to less inhibitory product, mannose.

In this review, the present knowledge on the occurrence of cellulases, with a special emphasis on the presence of carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) in various fungal strains, has been summarized. The importance of efficient fungal cellulases is growing due to their potential uses in biorefinery processes where lignocellulosic biomasses are converted to platform sugars and further to biofuels and chemicals. Most secreted cellulases studied in detail have a bimodular structure containing an active core domain attached to a CBM. CBMs are traditionally been considered as essential parts in cellulases, especially in cellobiohydrolases. However, presently available genome data indicate that many cellulases lack the binding domains in cellulose-degrading organisms. Recent data also demonstrate that CBMs are not necessary for the action of cellulases and they solely increase the concentration of enzymes on the substrate surfaces. On the other hand, in practical industrial processes where high substrate concentrations with low amounts of water are employed, the enzymes have been shown to act equally efficiently with and without CBM. Furthermore, available kinetic data show that enzymes without CBMs can desorb more readily from the often lignaceous substrates, that is, they are not stuck on the substrates and are thus available for new actions. In this review, the available data on the natural habitats of different wood-degrading organisms (with emphasis on the amount of water present during wood degradation) and occurrence of cellulose-binding domains in their genome have been assessed in order to identify evolutionary advantages for the development of CBM-less cellulases in nature.

Background Enzymes still comprise a major part of ethanol production costs from lignocellulose raw materials. Irreversible binding of enzymes to the residual substrate prevents their reuse and no efficient methods for recycling of enzymes have so far been presented. Cellulases without a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) have been found to act efficiently at high substrate consistencies and to remain non-bound after the hydrolysis. Results High hydrolysis yields could be obtained with thermostable enzymes of Thermoascus aurantiacus containing only two main cellulases: cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I), Cel7A and endoglucanase II (EG II), Cel5A. The yields were decreased by only about 10% when using these cellulases without CBM. A major part of enzymes lacking CBM was non-bound during the most active stage of hydrolysis and in spite of this, produced high sugar yields. Complementation of the two cellulases lacking CBM with CBH II (CtCel6A) improved the hydrolysis. Cellulases without CBM were more sensitive during exposure to high ethanol concentration than the enzymes containing CBM. Enzymes lacking CBM could be efficiently reused leading to a sugar yield of 90% of that with fresh enzymes. The applicability of cellulases without CBM was confirmed under industrial ethanol production conditions at high (25% dry matter (DM)) consistency. Conclusions The results clearly show that cellulases without CBM can be successfully used in the hydrolysis of lignocellulose at high consistency, and that this approach could provide new means for better recyclability of enzymes. This paper provides new insight into the efficient action of CBM-lacking cellulases. The relationship of binding and action of cellulases without CBM at high DM consistency should, however, be studied in more detail.

Background The recalcitrance of softwood to enzymatic hydrolysis is one of the major bottlenecks hindering its profitable use as a raw material for platform sugars. In softwood, the guaiacyl-type lignin is especially problematic, since it is known to bind hydrolytic enzymes non-specifically, rendering them inactive towards cellulose. One approach to improve hydrolysis yields is the modification of lignin and of cellulose structures by laccase-mediator treatments (LMTs). Results LMTs were studied to improve the hydrolysis of steam pre-treated spruce (SPS). Three mediators with three distinct reaction mechanisms (ABTS, HBT, and TEMPO) and one natural mediator (AS, that is, acetosyringone) were tested. Of the studied LMTs, laccase-ABTS treatment improved the degree of hydrolysis by 54%, while acetosyringone and TEMPO increased the hydrolysis yield by 49% and 36%, respectively. On the other hand, laccase-HBT treatment improved the degree of hydrolysis only by 22%, which was in the same order of magnitude as the increase induced by laccase treatment without added mediators (19%). The improvements were due to lignin modification that led to reduced adsorption of endoglucanase Cel5A and cellobiohydrolase Cel7A on lignin. TEMPO was the only mediator that modified cellulose structure by oxidizing hydroxyls at the C6 position to carbonyls and partially further to carboxyls. Oxidation of the reducing end C1 carbonyls was also observed. In contrast to lignin modification, oxidation of cellulose impaired enzymatic hydrolysis. Conclusions LMTs, in general, improved the enzymatic hydrolysis of SPS. The mechanism of the improvement was shown to be based on reduced adsorption of the main cellulases on SPS lignin rather than cellulose oxidation. In fact, at higher mediator concentrations the advantage of lignin modification in enzymatic saccharification was overcome by the negative effect of cellulose oxidation. For future applications, it would be beneficial to be able to understand and modify the binding properties of lignin in order to decrease unspecific enzyme binding and thus to increase the mobility, action, and recyclability of the hydrolytic enzymes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13068-014-0177-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In this review, the present knowledge on the occurrence of cellulases, with a special emphasis on the presence of carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) in various fungal strains, has been summarized. The importance of efficient fungal cellulases is growing due to their potential uses in biorefinery processes where lignocellulosic biomasses are converted to platform sugars and further to biofuels and chemicals. Most secreted cellulases studied in detail have a bimodular structure containing an active core domain attached to a CBM. CBMs are traditionally been considered as essential parts in cellulases, especially in cellobiohydrolases. However, presently available genome data indicate that many cellulases lack the binding domains in cellulose-degrading organisms. Recent data also demonstrate that CBMs are not necessary for the action of cellulases and they solely increase the concentration of enzymes on the substrate surfaces. On the other hand, in practical industrial processes where high substrate concentrations with low amounts of water are employed, the enzymes have been shown to act equally efficiently with and without CBM. Furthermore, available kinetic data show that enzymes without CBMs can desorb more readily from the often lignaceous substrates, that is, they are not stuck on the substrates and are thus available for new actions. In this review, the available data on the natural habitats of different wood-degrading organisms (with emphasis on the amount of water present during wood degradation) and occurrence of cellulose-binding domains in their genome have been assessed in order to identify evolutionary advantages for the development of CBM-less cellulases in nature.

A total of 17 fungi and four bacteria were screened for their ability to decolorize melanin, using isolated extracellular melanin of the bluestain fungus Aureobasidium pullulans as substrate. On agar media, decolorization was observed by four fungal strains: Bjerkandera adusta VTT-D-99746, Galactomyces geotrichum VTT-D-84228, Trametes hirsuta VTT-D-95443 and Trametes versicolor VTT-D-99747. The four fungi were more efficient on nitrogen-limited medium than on complete medium. The melanin-decolorizing activity of G. geotrichum appeared to be located on the mycelium and could be liberated into the medium enzymatically.

Laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) from the white-rot fungus Trametes hirsuta was used to oxidize alkenes. The oxidation was the effect of a two-step process, in which the enzyme first catalyzed the oxidation of primary substrate, the mediator, and then the oxidized mediator oxidized the secondary substrate, the alkene. Three different mediators were studied in the oxidation of aliphatic and cyclic alkenes.All the alkenes tested were oxidized, but the degree of conversion depended on the alkene and mediator used. The mediators differed from each other in optimal reaction conditions and in specificity towards a given alkene. The best results were obtained by using hydroxybenzotriazole as mediator. Aliphatic polyunsaturated and aromatic allyl alcohols were completely oxidized within 2 h at 20°C. Aliphatic allyl alcohols were oxidized up to 70% at 45°C for 20 h, whereas a conversion of 60% was achieved in 5 h under oxygen atmosphere. By contrast, the oxidation degree of other alkenes, such as allyl ether, cis-2-heptene and cyclohexene, remained low with all the mediators and did not exceed 25%. The major oxidation products in all cases were the corresponding ketones or aldehydes.

The action of monocomponent Trichoderma reesei endoglucanases (EG I, EG II; EC 3.2.1.4) and cellobiohydrolases (CBH I, CBH II; EC 3.2.1.91) and their core proteins was compared using isolated celluloses and bleached chemical pulp. The presence of cellulose binding domain (CBD) in the intact enzymes did not affect their action against soluble substrates. In the case of insoluble isolated celluloses and the chemical pulp the presence of CBD enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. The effect of CBD was more pronounced in the cellobiohydrolases, hydrolysing mainly crystalline cellulose, than in the endoglucanases which were more efficient in hydrolysing amorphous cellulose. The pulp properties measured, that is, viscosity and strength after PFI refining, were equally affected by the treatment with intact enzymes and corresponding core proteins, suggesting that the presence of CBD in intact cellulases affects mainly the cellulose hydrolysis level and less the mode of action of T. reesei cellulases in pulp. The better beatability of the bleached chemical pulp treated with intact endoglucanases than that treated with the corresponding core proteins suggests that the presence of CBD in endoglucanases could, however, result in beneficial effects on pulp properties.

Effects of recycling ECF-bleached softwood kraft pulp on pulp properties were evaluated in the laboratory. The tensile strength, fiber flexibility and WRV lost during drying of the pulp were recovered by refining between the cycles which, however, resulted in deteriorated drainage properties. The recycled pulps were treated with purified Trichoderma reesei cellulases and hemicellulases and the changes in fiber properties due to enzymatic treatments were characterized. The endoglucanases (EG I and EG II) significantly improved pulp drainage already at low dosage levels, and EG II was found to be more effective at a given level of carbohydrate solubilization. Combining hemicellulases with the endoglucanase treatments increased the positive effects of the endoglucanases on pulp drainage. However, as a result of the endoglucanase treatments a slight loss in strength was observed. Combining mannanase with endoglucanase treatments appeared to increase this negative effect, whereas the impact of xylanase was not significant. Although the drainage properties of the pulps could be improved by selected enzymes, the water retention capacity of the dried hornified fibers could not be recovered by any of the enzymes tested.

The biodegradability of cellulose-based materials was compared in the standard Sturm test and by enzymatic hydrolysis. Trichoderma reesei culture filtrate, the purified enzymes endoglucanase I and II from T. reesei, and β-glucosidase from Aspergillus niger were used in the experiments. The unpurified Trichoderma reesei culture filtrate was found to contain a mixture of enzymes suitable for cellulose degradation. However, when purified enzymes were used the right balance of the individual enzymes was necessary. The addition of β-glucosidase enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose materials when both culture filtrate and purified enzymes were used. In the Sturm test the biodegradability of most of the cellulose materials exceeded 70% carbon dioxide generation, but, in contrast, the biodegradability of the highly substituted aminated cellulose and cellulose acetate was below 10%. The results concerning enzymatic hydrolysis and biodegradability were in good agreement for kraft paper, sausage casing, aminated cellulose, and cellulose acetate. However, diverging results were obtained with cotton fabric, probably as a result of its high crystallinity.

The substrate specificities of three Penicillium simplicissimum α-galactosidases, AGLI, AGLII, and AGLIII, were determined by using various isolated galactose-containing oligosaccharides and polymeric galacto(gluco)mannans. AGLI released galactose from melibiose and raffinose-family oligosaccharides but the amount of galactose released was decreased from 96% to 35% by the increasing chain length of the substrate from raffinose to verbascose. It was able to release galactose linked to the nonreducing end and less efficiently to the internal residues of the galactomanno-oligomers. AGLI was able to hydrolyze 60–92% of galactose from polymeric galacto(gluco)mannans alone but its action was facilitated by mannanase and β-mannosidase. In addition, it was able to release about 10% of the galactose from softwood kraft pulp alone and about 22% in combination with mannanase. AGLII was highly specific toward small galactose-containing oligosaccharides in which the galactose is linked to the nonreducing end of the substrate. It released 90–100% of galactose present in melibiose, raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose; however, it was able to degrade polymeric substrates only in combination with mannanase and β-mannosidase. AGLIII had only low activity toward the oligomeric substrates tested. It was able to release some galactose from the polymeric galacto(gluco)mannans alone, but its action was clearly enhanced by the backbone degrading enzymes.

Dissolving pulp was solubilized in 9% NaOH, resulting in 32% solubilization of the pulp. Most of the pulp hemicelluloses were solubilized during this treatment. During the alkaline treatment the cellulose crystalline form was converted from cellulose I to cellulose II. The alkaline insoluble residue was further treated with cellulases in order to render it more alkaline soluble (two-step process). The cellulose II was readily hydrolysed by Trichoderma reesei endoglucanases. Considerably higher hydrolysis yields and lower viscosities were obtained in the hydrolysis of the alkaline insoluble residue as compared with the original pulp. Compared with direct enzymatic treatment with subsequent solubilization in alkali, the overall alkaline solubility of the two-step process was slightly higher at the same enzyme dosage. However, when compared at the same hydrolysis levels, slightly lower overall alkaline solubilities were obtained in the two-step method. 0969--0239 © 1998 Black ie Academic & Professional

Carboxylic acid bound to xylans in the fibre matrix cause a pH gradient between the fibre and the surrounding solution, known as the Donnan effect. The gradient is dependent on the ionic strength of the fibre solution. When meta1-free kraft pulp was used as a substrate for the Trichoderma reesei xylanase, the apparent pH optimum of the xylanase at low ionic strengths was found to be significantly higher, around 9, when a monovalent hydroxide was used for pH adjustment, as compared to the pH optimum obtained with a divalent metal hydroxide, i.e. pH 5–6. By increasing the ionic strength of the pulp solution by salt addition, the pH optimae of the xylanase became 5–6 with all the hydroxides. This difference was caused by the Donnan effect. Thus, at low ionic strengths the actual pH is lower than that measured in the solution, resulting in an increased apparent pH optimum of the xylanase. In practice, these results are important when applying xylanases on practical, fibre bound substrates, such as kraft pulps.