Cellulolytic activity of moulds. III. Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by cellulase preparation from Aspergillus terreus F-413.

The strain Aspergillus terreus F-413 was used to obtain cellulolytic enzymes; it was cultivated on cellucotton by the submerged method in a 101 fermenter. The crude enzymatic preparation obtained from the post-culture liquid, containing small amounts of other enzymes besides active cellulases, was used for hydrolysis of several kinds of cellulose. The highest saccharification percentage was obtained with cellucotton and filter paper, while the lowest with lignocellulosic materials such as straw and sawdust. It was shown that cellulose pretreatment, both mechanical (grinding in a ball mill) and chemical (with alkali) distinctly increased the yield of enzymatic hydrolysis. In the obtained hydrolyzates the presence of glucose as the main product of cellulose decomposition was found.