STUDY ON THE CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS FROM SAWDUST USING A MIXTURE OF HYDROLYTIC ENZYMES FROM FUNGI TO PRODUCE CARBOHYDRATE AND HYDROXYCINNAMIC ACID

Abstract

Lignocellulose is economically important when used as a raw material for applications in biotechnology and
industry. Fungi are known to possess an efficient catalytic hydrolytic enzyme system that helps them to effectively
decompose lignocellulose. In this study, a hydrolytic enzyme mixture was used to convert sawdust into products that
included low molecular weight compounds such as hydroxycinnamic acids and carbohydrate compounds, which are
valuable and applicable in various fields such as pharmaceuticals and the food industry. The enzymes used included
Celluclast® 1.5L (specific activity of 700U/g) purified from Trichoderma reesei, feruloyl esterase from Alternaria
tenuissima (AltFAE, 11.2U/mg), and acetyl esterase from Xylaria polymorpha (XpoAE, 13.1U/mg). The process of
converting sawdust released 0.55mg/g ferulic acid and 0.49mg/g p-coumaric acid, as well as 14.97mg/g total
carbohydrates (galactose, glucose, and xylose) using the enzymes (Celluclast® 1.5L; 5U/gds, AltFAE; 10U/gds, and XpoAE;
10U/gds) after 8 hours of incubation at 40°C. The study also demonstrated the antioxidant activity of the
hydroxycinnamic acid compounds on thin-layer chromatography when tested in a solid-phase DPPH assay.