Use of Ascomycete Extracts in Enzymatic Cocktail Formulations Increases Sugar Cane Bagasse Hydrolysis

Hemicellulases and accessory enzymes are essential for supplementation of cellulolytic enzyme extracts, and combinations of these enzymes can lead to high performance in plant biomass hydrolysis. In this work, enzyme extracts rich in hemicellulases and β-glucosidase, produced by the unique ascomycete strains Annulohypoxylon stygium DR47 and Aspergillus niger DR02, were tested for use in formulations with Celluclast 1.5 L. Statistical analysis showed that a mixture based on these enzymes was able to increase the hydrolysis of hydrothermally pretreated sugar cane bagasse. The two A. stygium extracts only effectively increased glucose release when they were combined. These extracts had no positive effect when used together with the A. niger extract, and the findings suggested that a blend based on the commercial cellulose preparation and the xylanase-rich extract from A. niger provided the best carbohydrate solubilization. Supplementation at low cellulolytic loading resulted in 120 and 238 % increases in cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis yields.