Statistical optimization of a cellulase from Aspergillus glaucus CCHA for hydrolyzing corn and rice straw by RSM to enhance yield of reducing sugar

The unique GH5 cellulase, AgCMCase, from Aspergillus glaucus CCHA was identified and characterized as having high cellulose and straw hydrolysis activities that were thermostable, pH stable and salt-tolerant. Therefore, it is a potential straw-degradation enzyme that can release reducing sugars in industrial applications. To increase the efficiency of the AgCMCase’ hydrolysis of straw to release simple sugars, response surface methodology (RSM) was introduced to optimize hydrolysis parameters such as pH, temperature, reaction time and enzyme dose. The enzyme showed only one major protein band from the fermentation broth by the Pichia pastoris GS115 expression. The crude enzyme (without purification) showed a satisfactory capability to hydrolyze CMC-Na after 4 days of production. Here, the crude AgCMCase also showed cellulose and straw hydrolysis capabilities as assessed by scanning electron microscopic and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analyses. A high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis demonstrated that the degradation of corn and rice straw by crude AgCMCase mainly produced glucose and cellobiose. Temperature, reaction time and enzyme dose were the significant variables affecting corn and rice straw degradation. After the optimization of RSM, a model was proposed to predict 1.48% reducing sugar yield with the optimum temperature (51.45 °C) and reaction time (3.84 h) from the straw degradation. The reaction of crude AgCMCase and rice straw in the optimized condition resulted in reducing sugar production of 1.61% that agrees the prediction. Our findings suggest that the crude AgCMCase is suitable to be used in straw conversion.