Cellulase and Xylanase Production by a Novel Strain of Rhizopus oryzae W2 (JX129361.1) Isolated from Compost Utilizing Agro Forest Residues under Solid State Fermentation

Present study involves the isolation, screening and identification of most efficient cellulolytic and xylanolytic fungal isolate from compost in Mid Hills of Himachal Pradesh. In total nine fungi were isolated, different physicochemical and biochemical tests were performed with these fungal isolates for their tentative identification, eventually confirming the potent enzyme producer at molecular level using ITS 5.8 Sr RNA. The selected fungal isolate was identified as Rhizopus oryzae W2. Genes responsible for its cellulase activity was encoded which is the first report in literature. Maximum yield of cellulase and xylanase of 4.20 IU/ml and 15.56 IU/ml was obtained. Different pretreatments viz, alkali, acid and steam pretreatments with selected agricultural and forest residue i.e. wheat straw, rice straw, pine needles, pine wood, bamboo wood were optimized under solid state fermentation. The best screened wheat straw was habituated for further optimization for hypercellulase and xylanase production viz; pH, temperature, moisture level and incubation time under solid state fermentation. Optimization of different parameters resulted in impressive increase of 107.38% in cellulase activity while xylanase had yielded 125.64%. Inexpensive agricultural residue of wheat straw has emerged as a suitable substrate for high titres of cellulase and xylanase turning it as cost effective process