The influence of some factors on β-1,4-xylanase activity of the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei QM9414

The mesophyllic fungus Trichoderma reesei (anamorph to Hypocrea jecorina) is an important biotechnological tool, known for its ability to secrete large quantities of hydrolytic enzymes. Renewable biomass, such as agricultural and forest wastes are used to produce microbial enzymes in various industrial processes such as food, feed and bioethanol industries. In raw biomass materials, such as wheat straws, barley straws and maize stalks, the main polysaccharide is cellulose which is closely associated with hemicelluloses like xylan, manan and xyloguclan. In consequence, the hydrolysis of these materials requires the concerted action of several enzymes, namely cellulases and xylanases. Endo-xylanase (endo-1,4--xylanase, EC 3.2.1.8) is the key enzyme involved in xylan hydrolysis, the main hemicellulosic component of plant cell walls. The metabolic activity and enzyme productivity of Trichoderma reesei is influenced by various environmental conditions. In this context, we analysed the effect of pH, cultivation period, the nature of the substrate used and the nitrogen source on enzymatic activity. The maximum xylanase yield was recorded at a initial pH of 4 (116.189 IU/ml) for barley and 5 for wheat (88.578 IU/ml), respectively maize (116.583 IU/ml). The best substrate for endo-xylanase activity was maize stalks (90.446 IU/ml) at a a concentration of 30g/L.