Cellulase production and saccharification of rice straw by the mutant strain Hypocrea koningii RSC1

The production of cellulase using solid-state fermentation of rice straw by the mutant strain Hypocrea koningii RSC1 was studied. Optimization of culture conditions, such as the nitrogen source, pH, and temperature, resulted in a maximum filter paper cellulase activity of 44.15Ug(-1) substrate, a carboxymethylcellulase activity of 324.6Ug(-1) substrate, and a -glucosidase activity of 7.45Ug(-1) substrate. Saccharification of untreated, 1% H2SO4-treated, and 2.5% NaOH-treated rice straw using the RSC1 cellulase resulted in 19, 17, and 34gL(-1) of reducing sugar, respectively. Further studies on the morphological and compositional changes of rice straw upon treatment with the cellulase by scanning electron microscopy analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the disruption of the arrangement of fibers and changes in the functional groups that occur in cellulose. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a reduction in crystallinity of the rice straw upon treatment with the cellulase. Our study shows that H. koningii RSC1 could be a good choice for the production of cellulase and reducing sugars from rice straw.