Characterization of the cellulolytic activity of the enzyme extract produced by the fungus Trichoderma reesei, Myceliophthora SP. Thermoascus aurantiacus and Aspergillus niger in solid state cultivation

• Grant number: 12/02768-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: João Cláudio Thoméo
• Grantee: Raíra Claudio Machado
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The discovery of enzymes dates from the eighteenth century, when it initiated studies on the digestion of food. Today, thousands of enzymes and their characteristics are known, but few are produced and applied industrially in large quantities, often due to lack of advanced studies on optimal conditions for their operation. The production of cellulolytic enzymes has aroused great interest among researchers around the world due to their possible use in the process of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials aimed at the production of second generation ethanol, given that there is a growing search for energy sources renewables and new technologies that allow energy autonomy of countries. To produce high concentrations of these enzymes, you can use the process of solid-state fermentation (SSF), a technique that still lacks scientific and technological knowledge which enables your application on a large scale. Knowledge of the factors that influence enzyme activity and the characteristics of enzymes produced is essential for best performance of the FES technique, and therefore the objective of this project is to characterize the crude enzyme extract produced by the mesophilic fungus Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger and the thermophilic Myceliophthora sp. and Thermoascus aurantiacus, all potential producers of cellulolytic enzymes. The enzymatic activities of extracts from each fungus will be analyzed in terms of temperature and pH for the activity and temperature and pH stability, which will be determined based on CMCase activity, which is one of the simplest ways to assess the activity cellulolytic. The project integrates the research line Process Engineering for the Food Program Graduate Engineering and Food Science, and within the context of a series of works in progress by the group Bioenergy Institute of Biosciences, Letters and Science of Sao Jose do Rio Preto, about production of hydrolytic enzymes by SSF using agro-industrial solid wastes as substrates, with the help of PhD student Fernanda Perpetual Casciatori (FAPESP proc stock. 2011/07453-5 DR), the theme of the thesis deals with the scaling-up of bioreactors of solid fermentation for the production of cellulolytic enzymes in fungi. (AU)