Enhancing wheat bran deconstruction with enzyme cocktails from Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma harzianum: the impact of β-glucosidase supplementation

Abstract

Forests and natural environments are valuable sources of organisms capable of degrading plant cell wall carbohydrates. In the present study, two isolates, Penicillium polonicum and Penicillium chrysogenum , obtained from Brazilian Cerrado soil, along with a previously characterized isolate of Trichoderma harzianum , were evaluated for their ability to produce carbohydrate-active enzymes when grown in the presence of wheat bran. P. chrysogenum exhibited higher production of endoglucanases, xylanases, and pectinases. Biochemical characterization showed that most enzymes were active at pH 5 and within a temperature range of 30–50 °C, with the exception of P. chrysogenum endoglucanases, which displayed optimal activity at 60 °C. Hydrolysis of cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose by the three enzyme sources demonstrated that supplementation with recombinant β-glucosidase from Clostridium thermocellum (BglA) significantly enhanced reducing sugar release; specifically, when applied to P. chrysogenum , the reducing sugar yield from cellulose hydrolysis increased by 2.53-fold. In the hydrolysis of wheat bran, enzymes from P. chrysogenum and T. harzianum supplemented with BglA resulted in a 1.6- and 3.93-fold increase in D-glucose yield, respectively. The results presented in this study contribute to the development of more robust enzyme cocktails for wheat bran valorization.

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