Extracellular Production of Thermostable Endoglucanase by Thermophilous Fungi

Fungi that can degrade cellulosic materials produce the cellulase complex. According to present concepts its components are endoglucanase, exoglucanase and B-glucosidase. It is established that the concerted action of all the three components is necessary for the complete hydrolysis of pretreated cellulose to glucose. It has been suggested that the endoglucanase is a random acting enzyme on the polysaccharide chain which results in the formation of cellulose oligomers and it has been considered to be the one which initiates the hydrolysis. Endoglucanase activity is of prime importance in cellulose degradation and hence in the present investigation extracellular production of this enzyme by thirty eight thermophilous fungi has been studied under two culture conditions.