Increased Malbranchea pulchella ß-glucosidase production and its application in agroindustrial residue hydrolysis: A research based on experimental designs.

ß-Glucosidases are a limiting factor in the conversion of cellulose to glucose for the subsequent ethanol production. Here, ß-glucosidase production by Malbranchea pulchella was optimized using Composite Central Designs and Response Surface Methodologies from a medium designed. The coefficient of determination (R2 ) was 0.9960, F-value was very high, and the lack of fit was found to be non-significant. This indicates a statistic valid and predictive result. M. pulchella enzymatic extract was successfully tested as an enzymatic cocktail in a mixture design using sugarcane bagasse, soybean hull and barley bagasse. We proved that the optimization of the ß-glucosidase production and the application in hydrolysis using unexpansive biomass and agricultural wastes can be accomplished by means of statistical methodologies. The strategy presented here can be useful for the improvement of enzyme production and the hydrolysis process, arising as an alternative for bioeconomy.

Immobilization studies of a pectinase produced by Aspergillus terreus.

Aspergillus terreus can produce different holocellulose-degrading enzymes when grown in sugarcane bagasse, with predominant pectinase activity. Thus, pectinase was selected for purification and immobilization studies. Ion exchange and molecular exclusion chromatography studies were performed, after which it was possible to semipurify the enzyme with a yield of 80%. The crude extract pectinase (PECEB) and the partially purified enzyme (PEC2) were immobilized on monoamino-N-aminoethyl (MANAE)-agarose with pectinase activity yields of 66% and 98%, respectively. After immobilization in MANAE-agarose, the pectinase showed higher activity at acidic pH (pH 4.0) when compared to the nonimmobilized enzyme. It was also found that after the immobilization process, there was a threefold improvement in the enzyme's thermostability. Also, it was possible to reuse the immobilized enzyme for up to five cycles of hydrolysis with effective production of reducing sugars (0.196 mg/g of substrate). The industrial application test revealed a significant decrease in the viscosity of guava juice when the immobilized enzyme was used. PECEB, immobilized on MANAE-agarose, was the enzyme sample that generated the highest pulp viscosity reduction (approximately 47%). Although additional studies are needed for practical industrial application, the results obtained herein reveal the potential of application of immobilized pectinase in the industry.

Trametes versicolor laccase production using agricultural wastes: a comparative study in Erlenmeyer flasks, bioreactor and tray.

Laccases are very interesting biocatalysts of recognized importance for several industrial applications. Its production by Trametes versicolor, a white-rot fungus, was induced by a combination of cotton gin wastes (1%), a lignocellulosic waste, and vinasse (15%), an industrial by-product from sugarcane industry. The use of these agro-industrial wastes are interesting, since it helps in reducing the enzyme production costs, due to their low cost and wide availability, as well as the environmental contamination issues, due to their improper disposal. Thus, laccase production was studied in submerged fermentation of T. versicolor using these agro-industrial wastes (cotton gin waste and vinasse) as carbon source and an additional nitrogen source (0.1% peptone). Three different bioreactors were evaluated for laccase production, such as BioFlo 310 bioreactor, aluminium tray and Erlenmeyer flasks to achieve high levels of laccase production. The highest specific production of laccase was found in BioFlo 310 bioreactor with 12 days of fermentation (55.24 U/mg prot.), which has been shown to be closely related to the oxygen supply to the microorganism through aeration of the fermentation medium. This study brings new insights into green biotechnology regarding vinasse utilization, which is frequently discharged in soils, rivers, and lakes causing adverse effects on agricultural soils and biota, as well as the cotton gin waste recovery.

A novel glucoamylase activated by manganese and calcium produced in submerged fermentation by Aspergillus phoenicis.

This study investigates the production of glucoamylase from Aspergillus phoenicis in Machado Benassi (MB) medium using 1% maltose as carbon source. The maximum amylase activity was observed after four days of cultivation, on static conditions at 30 °C. Glucoamylase production was induced by maltose and inhibited by different glucose concentrations. The optimum of temperature and pH were 60-65 °C, and 4.5 or 5.0 to sodium acetate and Mcllvaine buffers, respectively. It was observed that the enzyme was totally stable at 30-65 °C for 1 h, and the pH range was 3.0-6.0. The enzyme was mainly activated by manganese (176%), and calcium (130%) ions. The products of starch hydrolysis were analyzed by thin layer chromatography and after 3 h, only glucose was detected, characterizing the amylolytic activity as a glucoamylase.