<b>Production of cellulases by <i>Penicillium oxalicum</i> through solid state fermentation using agroindustrial substrates

  The purpose of this study was to define the factors that influence the production of cellulases by Penicillium oxalicum, a strain obtained from a leaf-cutting ant colony and identified based on the ITS gene. The experimental design included solid state fermentation using sugarcane bagasse and lignocellulosic sorghum as the lignocellulosic substrate. The variables were analyzed using a 25-1 fractional factorial design, with three replicates on the central point. All the variables analyzed influenced the production of at least one of the three cellulose types analyzed. The highest values observed were: FPase 4.2 U g-1, CMCase 9.2 U g-1 and Avicelase 8.4 U g-1 using lignocellulosic sorghum as the substrate. The best conditions for enzyme production were: incubation temperature at 40ºC, initial moisture of 60%, pH of 4.0 and a growth period of four days using lignocellulosic sorghum as the substrate.