Enzymatic Saccharification of Sugar Cane Bagasse by the Crude Enzyme from Indigenous Fungi

Sugar cane bagasse is a cheap lignocelluloses which has high carbohydrate content and, if properly pre-treated, could be converted to fermentable sugar. In this study various fungal isolates isolated from lignocellulosic waste were assayed for their CMCase, FPase and xylanase activity. Four potent plant cell wall-degrading fungi were identified as Trichoderma sp., Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sp. and Curvularia sp. Among these isolates Trichoderma sp. produced the highest enzymatic activity in the culture filtrates containing steamed NaOH treated-bagasse. The yield of endo-β-glucanase i.e., carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase), FPase and xylanase were 0.977, 0.110 and 9.280 U/ml. The highest degree of saccharification (DoS) was also achieved by Trichoderma sp. which was 45.71%. Trichoderma sp. is a potential source of extracellular hydrolases, which can be used for enzymatic saccharification of bagasse to produce fermentable sugar for ethanol production.Keywords: Bagasse; CMCase; FPase; Xylanase; Lignocellulose; Degree of saccharification; Graeco-Latin square design.