SOYBEAN LECITHIN ENHANCED CELLULASE PRODUCTION BY PENICILLIUM OXALICUM JG IN A SCALED-UP BIOCONVERSION PROCESS

The present research focuses on the production of cellulase from Penicillium oxalicum JG by optimizing the bioconversion process parameters and investigates the effects of different surfactants on the submerged fermentation process. Initially, cellulase production in shake flasks resulted in a cellulase activity of 0.22 FPU/mL. The optimization of process parameters increased the cellulase yield 1.7-fold and resulted in maximum cellulase activity of 0.366 FPU/mL within 7 days, with wheat bran and soybean meal selected as carbon source and nitrogen source at an initial pH of 1.5. Furthermore, the addition of soybean lecithin significantly enhanced cellulase production 2.19-fold and resulted in a maximum cellulase activity of 0.482 FPU/mL. The cellulase production was successfully scaled up to a 5 L stirred-tank bioreactor, the maximum cellulase activity reached 0.662 FPU/mL, while the addition of the soybean lecithin significantly enhanced the cellulase activity, reaching 1.08 FPU/mL. A similar cellulase titer can be obtained with shortened cultivation time from 7 to 3 days. The addition of low-cost soybean lecithin provides a great potential for its application in cellulase production.