Cellulolytic Enzymes Production by Solid State Culture Using Pecan Nut Shell as Substrate and Support

Problem Statement: Great interest in the use of lignocellulosic biomass is increasing in order to diminish the accumulation of residues, such as pecan nut shells. One of the alternatives is the fungal degradation of these residues. Approach: The capacity of Trichoderma (coded as T1, T2 and T3) strains to produce cellulase and xylonite was evaluated. Results: Pecan nut shell fibers were used as sole carbon source. The fiber characterization study showed that cellulose levels were of 0.1% while hemicellulose was up to 25 %. Three Trichoderma strains were used on solid fungal cultures using the fibers as sole carbon and inductor source for the production of cellulolytic enzymes. The behavior of the sugars liberated by the fungi showed that the strain T2 is able to accumulate more monomeric reducing sugars than the other two strains, this could be attributed at this strain has a higher sugar liberation rate and slower sugar consumption rate. This strain also expressed more cellulase and xylanase activity. The low quantity of cellulose registered in the fibers can still be used to induce cellulase activity. Conclusion: The T2 strain had the highest level of enzymatic activity both cellulase and xylanase.