Author(s)

Sideney Becker Onofre, Taismara Bonfante, Zípora Morgana Quinteiro dos Santos, Marielly Coradin de Moura, Aline Filakowski Cardoso

Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Paranaense, UNIPAR, Unidade Universitária de Francisco Beltrão, Francisco Beltrão, Paraná, Brasil.
Laboratório de Microbiologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas da União de Ensino do Sudoeste do Paraná, UNISEP, Campus de Francisco Beltrão, Francisco Beltrão, Paraná, Brasil.

Cellulases are enzymes responsible for the degradation of cellulose, the major compound in plant cells. Cellulose is a polysaccharide composed of several glucose units linked together by chemical bonds. Cellulases, such as endoglucanases, beta-glucosidase and exoglucanases, break the chemical bonds between the glucose units. Fungi, including the endophytic species, can be great cellulase producers. This study aimed to evaluate cellulase production by four endophytic strains of Trichoderma reesei semi-solid media containing sugarcane bagasse, supplemented or not with salts. Two fermentations were carried out for 43 days. Samples were taken every seven days to obtain production peaks. The enzymes were characterized by their optimum pH and temperature of activity and stability upon incubation in the presence of ions, pH and temperature variations. The results showed that the endophytic strains FB1, FB2, FB3 and FB4 of Trichoderma reesei produce cellulases in a sugarcane bagasse medium, supplemented or not with salts, at pH 5.5 and 30°C. The supplemented medium proved to be more appropriate to induce cellulase production after 29 days of fermentation, with FB4 having the best yield: 16.32 ± 2.65 IU/gram of fermented substrate.

Substrate, Fermentation Processes, Enzymes, Cellulases

Onofre, S. , Bonfante, T. , Santos, Z. , Moura, M. and Cardoso, A. (2014) Cellulase Production by Endophytic Strains of Trichoderma reesei from Baccharis dracunculifolia D. C. (Asteraceae). Advances in Microbiology, 4, 275-283. doi: 10.4236/aim.2014.45034.