Extraction and Characterization of Cellulase From Forest and Compost Soil Fungal Isolates for the Application of Straw Degradation

Cellulases are complex hydrolytic enzymes working synergistically on the hydrolysis of cellulolytic materials for the production of simple sugars. These enzymes have tremendous environmental, industrial and agricultural applications including enhancement of the degradability of lignocellulosic materials for cattle's feed.  The aim of this study was to isolate fungus and extract cellulose enzyme from forest and compost soil samples and examine the extent to which these enzymes enhance the degradability of finger millet and oat straw for making palatable cattle's feed.  Accordingly, a total of 53 fungal isolates were isolated from forest and compost soil. On 1% CMC media resulted 40% were cellulolytic fungal species. Six were selected based on their clear zone. These isolates belonged to the genera Trichoderma, Aspergillus and Penicillium based on their morphological characteristics. Cultivation of fungal isolates for cellulase production using submerged fermentation and Solid-state fermentation was undertaken through make the variation on their levels of different growth conditions such as temperature, pH, minerals and substrates. The results showed that the highest cellulase production i.e CMCase 83.12 ± 3.18 U/dL and FPase 44.51± 0.391FPU/dL were obtained from FSI6 in FMS supplemented SSF at 280C and a pH of 6.&nbsp