Integration of agricultural residues as biomass source to saccharification bioprocess and for the production of cellulases from filamentous fungi

The production of second-generation bioethanol has several challenges, among them finding cheap and efficient enzymes for a sustainable process. In this work, we analyzed two native fungi, Cladosporium cladosporioides and Penicillium funiculosum, as a source of cellulolytic enzyme production, and corn stover, wheat bran, chickpeas, and bean straw as a carbon source in two fermentation systems: submerged and solid fermentation. Corn stover was selected for cellulase production in both fermentation systems, because we found the highest enzymatic activities when carboxymethyl cellulase activity (CMCase) was assessed using CMC as substrate. C. cladosporioides showed the highest CMCase activity (1.6 U/mL), while P. funiculosum had the highest filter paper activity (Fpase) (0.39 U/mL). The ß-glucosidase activities produced by both fungi were similar in submerged fermentation using corn stover as substrate. Through in-gel zymography, three polypeptides with cellulolytic activities were identified in each fungus: with molecular weights of ~ 38, 45 and 70 kDa in C. cladosporioides and ~ 21, 63 and 100 kDa in P. funiculosum. The best results for saccharification (10.11 g/L of reducing sugars) of diluted acid pretreated corn stover were obtained after 36 h of the hydrolytic process at pH 5 and 50 °C using the enzyme extract of P. funiculosum. This is the first report of cellulase identification in C. cladosporioides and the saccharification of corn stover using enzymes of this fungus. Enzymatic extracts of C. cladosporioides and P. funiculosum obtained from low-cost lignocellulosic biomass have great potential for use in the production of second-generation bioethanol.