Effect of gamma irradiation pretreatment on biodegradation of forest lignocelluloses byAspergillus niger

Summary Biodegradation of gamma irradiated lignocellulosic forest wastes byAspergillus niger exhibited higher release of reducing sugars and proteins. The pretreated needles ofCedrus deodara showed maximum release of sugars(8%) among fifteen materials studied whereas, only 1.5% sugars were recorded from wood ofPopulus ciliata. In all, this treatment increased the susceptibility of all lignocelluloses to the hydrolytic action of the fungus and resulted in increase in the level of sugars released in comparison of untreated materials. The needles ofCedrus andPinus and woods ofPopulus andRobinia emerged as promising raw materials for fermentation.