| Abstract: | Microwave pre-treatment of polygalacturonic acid, xylan and carboxymethylcellulose was found to improve the catalytic efficiencies of pectinase, xylanase and cellulase by 1.5, 2.3 and 1.6 fold, respectively. The microwave effect was distinguished from a pure thermal effect by irradiating at a constant temperature with the help of a non-contact infrared controller. The temperature and time of pre-treatment and substrate concentration during the pre-treatment were optimized by response surface methodology. Scanning electron microscopy revealed significant morphological changes in the substrate as a result of microwave pre-treatment. The time course of enzymatic hydrolysis in each case showed that the use of microwave pre-treated substrates gave higher catalytic rates. Also, a higher degree of bioconversion was observed in each case when microwave pre-treated substrates were used. |
