Reducing sugar accumulation from alkali pretreated sugar cane bagasse using Cellulomonas

Summary An active cellulolytic culture was obtained following growth of the Cellulomonas strain CS1-17 for 24 h at 32° C on 1 or 2% alkali pretreated sugar cane bagasse. Environmental conditions were then varied to favour reducing sugar accumulation from fresh alkali pretreated bagasse added to the 24 h culture medium at 75 g/l. After incubation for an additional 48 h at 37° C under anaerobic, aerobic and aerobic+0.2% sodium azide conditions, reducing sugar was accumulated at 22.8, 23.7 and 25.6 g/l respectively. Approximately 83% of this release occurred during the first 18 h of incubation and the reducing sugar released contained approximately 14% xylose, 35% glucose, and 26% cellobiose. Addition of exogenous cellobiase resulted in conversion of the cellobiose to glucose.