Cellulase production and morphology of “Trichoderma reesei” in different experimental conditions

Abstract

Cellulases production involving alternative substrates has been intensely researched, because it offers perspectives for lowering the costs for enzyme production, costs which are a major obstacle for the development of this field. The concentration, turnout, effectiveness of the enzyme production depends on the content of culture medium. In order to find a way to increase cellulase production, two culture media with different cellulosic substrates in submerged culture experiments were tested. We used a promising off-corn growth media that was efficient and the cellulases output due to substrate action was calculated. The reduction of the sugars released by the enzyme was noticed. On off-corn medium the measurements reached 0.188 mg of released glucose/mL/min/50ºC, while on PSM medium the strains reached the release of only 0.118 mg glucose/mL/min/50ºC. The abundance of the fungi and the pellet morphology were microscopically compared by optic and electronic means. Mycelia with hyphae and spores were also visible in these circumstances, suggesting that when the environment of the mycelium alters, part of the mycelium autolyses and spores are released to propagate. The present study also included the use of newly synthesized cellulases in order to obtain a plant protoplast culture. This study proves that cellulolytic enzymes with further application in laboratory can be provided by less expensive techniques.