Isolation and Evaluation of Cellulase-producing Fungal Strains from the Himalayan Region of Uttarakhand, India

Fungi are a highly diverse group of microorganisms with significant roles across various aspects of human life. The successful utilization of fungi, particularly in industrial applications such as enzyme production, largely depends on the isolation of potent and efficient species. In the present study, filamentous fungi were isolated from soil samples and assessed for their potential to produce cellulase enzymes. Cellulolytic enzymes are vital for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass and are widely used in industries such as textiles, paper and pulp, and biofuel production. However, the high cost associated with commercial cellulase enzymes, coupled with growing industrial demand, and has driven increased research efforts to identify cost-effective production strategies, particularly those utilizing agro-industrial residues as sustainable substrates. In the present study, twenty-six microbial cultures were isolated from soil collected from the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand using standard serial dilution technique. All the fungal isolates were screened for cellulase enzyme activities both qualitatively and quantitatively. Among the total microbes recovered, the selected potential fungal isolate PSF2 showed maximum FPase (0.781 U/ml) and β-glucosidase (0.786 U/ml) enzyme activities during quantitative screening. From this study, a PSF2 fungus was identified as a potent cellulase producer for future studies.