Characterization of fungi isolated from the Amazon region for the potential of biomass-degrading enzymes production

The conversion of biomass from forestry and agroindustrial residues into biofuels and bioproducts, within the biorefinery concept, is of great interest, especially to Brazil, where bioenergy has a huge potential for development. However, to ensure the viability of the conversion process it is essential to reduce the cost of the enzymes used in the hydrolysis step. For this, one must have the key element of this process, which is the microorganism. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate different fungi isolated from the Amazon region for their potential in terms of the production of cellulase and xylanase enzymes. Of a total of 40 strains cultivated under solid state fermentation (SSF) for 10 days, the strain that stood out for the production of endoglucanase (351.79Ug-1120h) and β-glucosidase (62.31Ug-1 at 72h) was P47C3 (A. niger) whereas for xylanase (1076.94Ug-1 in 72 hours) and FPase (2.46Ug-1 in120 hours) were P6B2 (A. oryzae) and P40B3, respectively. These results demonstrate the great potential application of the enzymes produced by the Amazon isolated fungi, thus contributing to generate the necessary technological advances in order to increase the efficiency of the use of biomass as a renewable energy source.

Amazon; enzymes; cellulases; xylanases; solid-state fermentation; bioenergy