Enhanced enzyme production from mixed cultures of Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30 and Aspergillus niger LMA grown as fed batch in a stirred tank bioreactor

For the complete hydrolysis of cellulose, the cellulolytic fungi produce a whole set of commercially important enzymes called cellulases. The aim of this work was to investigate an approach to enhance the production of these enzymes by co-culturing Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger in a bioreactor to convert cellulose substrate into soluble sugars through a synergetic action of enzyme complex simultaneously produced by these two fungi. The experiments were conducted as fed batch growth on a Cellulose-Yeast extract medium. A Mixture of lactose and lactobionic acid was added into the bioreactor as cellulase inducers. The results of mixed Culture experiments exhibited a highly significant increase in the production of volumetric enzyme activity (98.4UL(-1) h(-1)). filter paper activity (7.1U mL(-1)), carboxymethyl cellulase activity (4.7U mL(-1)), Soluble proteins (2.1mg mL(-1)), dry biomass (21.4g(-1) L-1), and percentage of utilized cellulose (89.4%) as compared with A. niger monocultures. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.