Construction of the Biological Saccharification Process from Lignocellulosic Biomass Using a Filamentous Fungus <i>Trichoderma reesei</i>

Here, we aimed to construct a biological saccharification process that combines the steps of enzyme production and enzymatic saccharification using an aerobic fungus <i>Trichoderma reesei</i>, an excellent cellulase producer. Sugar production consists of the growth phase at 28 °C and the saccharification phase at 50 °C. Final sugar yields from alkali-treated rice straw and microcrystalline cellulose using the <i>T. reesei</i> M2-1 strain were greatly affected by mycelial inoculum size and growth phase periods. The optimization of these factors yielded 74.5 % and 60.6 % of sugar from the alkali-treated rice straw and microcrystalline cellulose, respectively, at 120 h of the biological saccharification process. In comparison with the process employing anaerobic microorganisms, a relatively higher yield of sugars was achieved within a shorter period and the use of non-GM fungal strain. However, large variability in sugar yields based on feedstocks suggests imperceptible differences in initial conditions.