The enzymatic saccharification of canola meal and its utilization for xylanase production by Trichoderma reesei.

Tests made utilizing canola meal as a substrate for the production of xylanase indicate that Trichoderma reesei produced this enzyme in similar or better yields from canola meal than from expensive carbon sources such as Solka-floc, cellulose, glucose, lactose, sucrose or purified xylans. The effect of culture conditions on xylanase production when canola meal was used as a carbon source was also investigated. The enzyme system produced using canola meal also contained a higher proportion of acetyl-xylan esterase, cellulase, and xylosidase activities, most of which are required for synergistic action and hydrolysis of complex materials. The enzymatic saccharification of canola meal was also investigated. The results show that saccharification of canola meal is mainly brought about by hemicellulases capable of degrading arabinogalactan, arabinoglucan, galactan and galactomannan, while cellulase and xylanase play a minor role. This autoclaving pretreatment also released water soluble polysaccharides consisting mainly of arabinnose and glucose. T. reesei was unable to produce enzymes capable of hydrolyzing these polysaccharides when cultivated on canola meal as substrate. (Abstract shortened by UMI.