Saccharification of corn fiber using enzymes from Aureobasidium sp strain NRRL Y-2311-1

Crude enzyme preparations from Aureobasidium sp. strain NRRL Y-2311-1 were characterized and tested for the capacity to saccharify corn fiber. Cultures grown on xylan, corn fiber, and alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP)-pretreated corn fiber produced specific levels of endoxylanase, amylase, protease, cellulase, and other activities. Using equal units of endoxylanase activity, crude enzymes from AHP-pretreated corn fiber cultures were most effective in saccharification. Multiple enzyme activities were implicated in this process. Pretreatment of corn fiber with AHP nearly doubled the susceptibility of hemicellulose to enzymatic digestion. Up to 138 mg xylose, 125 mg arabinose, and 490 mg glucose were obtained per g pretreated corn fiber under conditions tested.