Morphogenesis and Production of Enzymes byPenicillium echinulatumin Response to Different Carbon Sources

Abstract

The effect of different carbon sources on morphology and cellulase and xylanase production ofPenicillium echinulatumwas evaluated in this work. Among the six carbon sources studied, cellulose and sugar cane bagasse were the most suitable for the production of filter paper activity, endoglucanases, xylanases, andβ-glucosidases. However, sucrose and glucose showedβ-glucosidase activities similar to those obtained with the insoluble sources. The polyacrylamide gels proved the enzymatic activity, since different standards bands were detected in the media mentioned above. Regarding morphology, it was observed that the mycelium in a dispersed form provided the greatest enzymatic activity, possibly due to greater interaction between the substrate and hyphae. These data are important in understanding the physiology of fungi and could contribute to obtaining enzyme with potential application in the technology of second generation ethanol.