Saccharification of wheat-straw cellulose by enzymatic hydrolysis following fermentative and chemical pretreatment

Abstract

In our investigations, wheat straw fermentations were conducted using the edible, white-rot fungus commonly known as the oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Kummer, as fermentation organism. Fermented substrates were evaluated for degree of lignin and cellulose degradation and saccharification. In addition, since our primary objective in the P. ostreatus fermentation was to increase the amount of availabile cellulose in straw for further fermentation, cellulose hydrolysis rates were determined. Cellulose conversion to fermentable sugar was also determined on chemically modified straws by subjecting them to enzymatic hydrolysis. Progress and extent of delignification was follwed also by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and structural changes were determined in treated-straw substrates.