RECOVERY OF CELLULOLYTIC ENZYMES FROM WHEAT-STRAW HYDROLYSIS BROTH WITH DIOCTYL SULPHOSUCCINATE ISOOCTANE REVERSE MICELLES/

Hydrolysis of wheat straw was carried out with cellulases and hemicell ulases from Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 cultures, The recovery of cellu lolytic enzymes from hydrolysis broth was assayed through a forward tr ansfer to dioctyl sulphosuccinate (AOT)/iso-octane reverse micelles an d a backward transfer to a fresh aqueous medium, Neither reducing suga rs nor DNA were recovered, but we detected beta-glucosidase, beta-xylo sidase and xylanase activities in the final aqueous medium, We studied the dependence of protein recovery on the pH of hydrolysis broth, the AOT concentration, and the w(Oi) (molar ratio of water to AOT) of the reverse micelles as well as the temperature of both transfers and the ionic strength of the aqueous medium in the backward transfer, High t emperature increased the recovery of enzymes, whereas the optimum pH v aried for each enzyme. Moreover, the water content of the organic medi um was titrated in each experiment, The hydrodynamic radius of the rev erse micelles was higher when protein was solubilized. Under optimum t ransfer conditions, 21.5% of beta-xylosidase and 7.5% of beta-glucosid ase activity was recovered.