The substrate concentration, enzyme load, pH, temperature and agitation are parameters that can influence the efficiency of hydrolysis and the final concentration of sugars generated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of these parameters during the saccharification of steam explosion treated sugarcane bagasse, using a enzymatic pool containing cellulases, xylanases and β-glucosidases produced by fungi T.reesei Rut C30 and A.awamori.
The hydrolysis tests were conducted in rotatory shaker for 48 hours under the following conditions: 40-60 °C, 50-300 rpm, pH 4.0-7.0, 5-20 FPU/g and 50-150 g of bagasse/L using steam explosion treated bagasse as substrate. The quantification of glucose was determined by biochemical analyzer YSI 2700 and others sugar were analised by HPLC. The interpretation of results was made using the software STATISTICA 7.0 (StatSoft, USA). The substrate concentration, enzyme load and pH were the parameters most relevant in the stage of saccharification followed by the temperature and agitation, respectively. Under the optimum conditions was obtained up to 85% yield. However it is necessary to jointly evaluate the economic viability of such parameters as the enzyme load that correspond to 75% of the total cost of second generation ethanol production process.