Characterization Of Isolated Microfungi And Their Enzymes For Cellulosic Waste Bioconversion

ABSRACT

Eight cellulolytic microfungi were isolated from wood-wastes obtained from Okobaba sawmills, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. The microfungi include two pathogenic fungi, Aspergillus Aavus and Aspergillus fumigatus, and three different strains of the black aspergilli, Aspergillus niger, (designated herein as A. niger 1, A. niger 2 and A. niger 3). The other isolates are Fusarium solani, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Trichoderma harzianum.

The filamentous fungi, A. nigeri, P. chrysogenum and T. harzianum were found to grow rapidly on microbiological media such as Potato dextrose agar (PDA), Sabouraud's agar (SA) and Czapek-Dox agar (CDA). Growth of A. niger 1 and P. chrysogenum on modified Czapek-Dox agar (CDA) and sabouraud's agar (Sam) in which the carbon sources were substituted with 2% (w/v) sawdust or sugarcane pulp was comparable to that on the commercial fungal media (PDA and SA). Media formulations, Wood-agar and Cane-agar (modified Czapek-Dox agar containing 2% (w/v) Abora sawdust and sugarcane pulp respectively) and Wood-pep-agar and Cane-pep-agar (modified Sabouraud's agar containing 2% (w/v) Abora sawdust and sugarcane pulp respectively), were found to be effective media for cultivating cellulolytic microfungi.

Penicillium chrysogenum was the best cellulase-producing Isolate in media containing purified carbon sources (cellulose and carboxymethyl-cellulose).