title: Fungal pretreatment of switchgrass for improved saccharification and simultaneous enzyme production.
abstract: This study investigates fungal pretreatment of switchgrass involving solid state fermentation (SSF) to improve saccharification and simultaneously produce enzymes as co-products. The results revealed that the fungus Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L3 can significantly degrade lignin and enhance enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. After a 36-d cultivation period, nearly 30% reduction in lignin content was obtained without significant loss of cellulose and hemicellulose, while a considerable amount of laccase, as high as 6.3 U/g, was produced. After pretreatment, pores on switchgrass surface were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency for the switchgrass with 36-d pretreatment was about 50% greater than the untreated one. Our results suggest that solid state fungal cultivation may be a good method for switchgrass pretreatment, which can simultaneously achieve high efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis and production of some useful enzymes for other industrial utilization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Griffin, GA 30223, USA.
authors.forename: Jiayang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ming Li
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tonnis
authors.forename: Mussie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Habteselassie
authors.forename: Xiangru
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Qingguo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D045424:Complex Mixtures; D004798:Enzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007700:Kinetics; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism; D006109:Poaceae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055494:Pycnoporus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014994:Xylose / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D045424:Complex Mixtures; D004798:Enzymes; D008031:Lignin; D014994:Xylose; D005947:Glucose