Corn fiber hydrolysis by Thermobifida fusca extracellular enzymes

Thermobifida fusca was grown on cellulose (Solka-Floc), xylan or corn fiber and the supernatant extracellular enzymes were concentrated. SDS gels showed markedly different protein patterns for the three different carbon sources. Activity assays on a variety of synthetic and natural substrates showed major differences in the concentrated extracellular enzyme activities. These crude enzyme preparations were used to hydrolyze corn fiber, a low-value biomass byproduct of the wet milling of corn. Approximately 180 mg of reducing sugar were produced per gram of untreated corn fiber. When corn fiber was pretreated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide, up to 429 mg of reducing sugars were released per gram of corn fiber. Saccharification was enhanced by the addition of beta-glucosidase or by the addition of a crude xylanase preparation from Aureobasidium sp.