Use of an (Hemi) Cellulolytic Enzymatic Extract Produced by Aspergilli Species Consortium in the Saccharification of Biomass Sorghum

FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais This study evaluated the production of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using a microbial consortium of Aspergillus fumigatus SCBM6 and A. niger SCBM1 (AFN extract). The fungal strains were cultivated in sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and wheat bran (WB) as lignocellulosic substrates for 7 days at 30 °C. After SSF, the highest peaks of enzyme production were 150 and 80 U g−1 for β-xylosidase and β-glucosidase at 48 h, 375 U g−1 for xylanase at 96 h, and 80 U g−1 for endoglucanase and 4 U g−1 for cellulase activity on filter paper (FPase) at 144 h. The efficiency of the produced AFN extract was investigated in the enzymatic hydrolysis of crude biomass sorghum (BS) and after the removal of extractives (ES). After saccharification, the glucose and xylose concentrations were 10× superior in ES than in BS hydrolysate (2.5 g L−1 after 12 h). The presence of inhibitors of alcoholic fermentation, such as formic acid, was also reduced in ES hydrolysates, indicating that the removal of extractives positively contributed to the effectiveness of enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass sorghum using AFN extract