Potential of Mangrove-Associated Endophytic Fungi for Production of Carbohydrolases with High Saccharification Efficiency

Author(s)

Maroldi, M. M. C. ^{[1, 2]} ; Vasconcellos, V. M. ^{[1, 3]} ; Lacava, P. T. ^[2] ; Farinas, C. S. ^{[1, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Embrapa Instrumentat, Rua 15 Novembro 1452, BR-13561206 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Ctr Biol Sci & Hlth, POB 676, BR-13565905 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Grad Program Chem Engn, POB 676, BR-13565905 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology; v. 184, n. 3, p. 806-820, MAR 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

The endophytic fungi represent a potential source of microorganisms for enzyme production. However, there have been only few studies exploiting their potential for the production of enzymes of industrial interest, such as the (hemi)cellulolytic enzymatic cocktail required in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Here, a collection of endophytic fungi isolated from mangrove tropical forests was evaluated for the production of carbohydrolases and performance on the hydrolysis of cellulose. For that, 41 endophytic strains were initially screened using a plate assay containing crystalline cellulose as the sole carbon source and the selected strains were cultivated under solid-state fermentation for endoglucanase, beta-glucosidase, and xylanase enzyme quantification. The hydrolysis of a cellulosic material with the enzymes from endophytic strains of the Aspergillus genus resulted in glucose and conversion values more than twofold higher than the reference strains (Aspergillus niger F12 and Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30). Particularly, the enzymes from strains A. niger 56 (3) and A. awamori 82 (4) showed a distinguished saccharification performance, reaching cellulose conversion values of about 35% after 24 h. Linking hydrolysis performance to the screening steps played an important role towards finding potential fungal strains for producing enzymatic cocktails with high saccharification efficiency. These results indicate the potential of mangrove-associated endophytic fungi for production of carbohydrolases with efficient performance in the hydrolysis of biomass, thus contributing to the implementation of future biorefineries. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/10636-8 - From the cell factory to the Biodiesel-Bioethanol integrated biorefinery: a systems approach applied to complex problems in micro and macroscales
• Grantee: Roberto de Campos Giordano
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 06/57060-1 - Analysis of the bacterial community associated with mangroves in the State of São Paulo of biotechnological and agricultural interest
• Grantee: Paulo Teixeira Lacava
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 04/13910-6 - Biodiversity and functional activities of microorganisms from mangrove of the State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Itamar Soares de Melo
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/19000-3 - Simplification of the biomass to ethanol conversion process by integration with the production of enzymes in-house
• Grantee: Cristiane Sanchez Farinas
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Regular Program Grants