Abstract

P. B. Acharya, D. K. Acharya* and H. A. Modi

Cellulases are a group of hydrolytic enzymes and are capable of degrading lignocellulosic materials. Cellulases have wide range of applications. This work focuses on factors relevant for improvement of enzymatic hydrolysis of saw dust by using Aspergillus niger. Different cultural conditions were examined to assess their effect in optimizing enzyme production. Alkaline pretreated (2 N NaOH) saw dust at 9.6% concentration gave 0.1813 IU/mL cellulase activity. Optimum pH for cellulase production was between 4.0 and 4.5. Submerged fermentation at 120 rpm at 28°C gave higher yields of cellulase compared to static condition. Several other parameters like inoculum size, time duration, nitrogen source and its concentration were also optimized for the cellulase production by using saw dust as substrate.