Currently, lignocellulosic waste is a topic of global studies, given that fossil fuel reserves are diminishing, the new agricultural frontiers are limited and the demand for food and biofuels is increasing by the growing world population (1). For these reasons, technology must advance to improve the use of agricultural and agroindustrial residues to obtain food and biofuel.Xylans present in lignocellulosic materials have been studied for obtaining xylooligosaccharides (XOS) from waste materials such as corncobs, rice hulls, olive pits, barley straw (2), tobacco stalk, cott on stalk, sunfl ower stalk, wheat straw (3) and sugarcane bagasse (4-6). Sugarcane bagasse is inexpensive, renewable and abundant source of XOS especially in the countries that produce ethanol and sugar from sugarcane. However, more research is necessary to improve the use of this residue.
SummarySugarcane bagasse is an important lignocellulosic material studied for the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS). Some XOS are considered soluble dietary fi bre, with low caloric value and prebiotic eff ect, but they are expensive and not easily available. In a screening of 138 fungi, only nine were shortlisted, and just Aspergillus fumigatus M51 (35.6 U/mL) and A. fumigatus U2370 (28.5 U/mL) were selected as the most signifi cant producers of xylanases. These fungi had low β-xylosidase activity, which is desirable for the production of XOS. The xylanases from Trichoderma reesei CCT 2768, A. fumigatus M51 and A. fumigatus U2370 gave a signifi cantly higher XOS yield, 11.9, 14.7 and 7.9 % respectively, in a 3-hour reaction with hemicellulose from sugarcane bagasse. These enzymes are relatively thermostable at 40-50 °C and can be used in a wide range of pH values. Furthermore, these xylanases produced more prebiotic XOS (xylobiose and xylotriose) when compared with a commercial xylanase. The xylanases from A. fumigatus M51 reached a high level of XOS production (37.6 %) in 48-72 h using hemicellulose extracted from sugarcane bagasse. This yield represents 68.8 kg of prebiotic XOS per metric tonne of cane bagasse. In addition, in a biorefi nery, aft er hemicellulose extraction for XOS production, the residual cellulose could be used for the production of second-generation ethanol.