Solid-state fermentation of lignocellulosic substrates for cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei NRRL 11460

Cellulase production studies were carried out using the fungal culture Trichoderma reesei NRRL 11460 using four different lignocellulosic residues (both raw and pre-treated) by solid-state fermentation. The effect of basic fermentation parameters on enzyme production was studied. Maximal cellulase production obtained was 154.58 U/gds when pre-treated sugarcane bagasse (PSCB) was used as substrate. The optimal conditions for cellulase production using PSCB were found to be initial moisture content - 66%, initial medium pH-7.0, incubation temperature -28°C, NH4NO3 at 0.075 M, and 0.005 M cellobiose. The optimal incubation time for production was 72 h. Results indicate the scope for further optimization of the production conditions to obtain higher cellulase titres using the strain under SSF.