Evaluation of different lignocellulosic substrates for the production of cellulases and xylanases by the basidiomycete fungi Bjerkandera adusta and Pycnoporus sanguineus

Agricultural waste products are potential resources for the production of a number of industrial compounds, including biofuels. Basidiomycete fungi display a battery of hydrolytic enzymes with prospective use in lignocellulosic biomass transformation, however little work has been done regarding the characterization of such activities. Growth in several lignocellulosic substrates (oak and cedar sawdust, rice husk, corn stubble, wheat straw and Jatropha seed husk) and the production of cellulases and xylanases by two basidiomycete fungi: Bjerkandera adusta and Pycnoporus sanguineus were analyzed. Growth for P. sanguineus was best in rice husk while corn stubble supported the highest growth rate for B. adusta. Among the substrates tested, cedar sawdust produced the highest cellulolytic activities in both fungal species, followed by oak sawdust and wheat straw. Xylanolytic activity was best in oak and cedar sawdust for both species. We found no correlation between growth and enzyme production. Zymogram analysis of xylanases and cellulases showed that growth in different substrates produced particular combinations of protein bands with hydrolytic activity.