Study of enzymatic saccharification of Agave leaves biomass to yield fermentable sugars

• Published in: 3 Biotech 2017-05, Vol.7 (1), p.55-9, Article 55
• Main Authors: Medina-Morales, Miguel A., Soto-Cruz, Oscar, Contreras-Esquivel, Juan C., Rodríguez-Herrera, Raúl, De la Garza-Toledo, Heliodoro, Aguilar, Cristóbal N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agave; Agave salmiana; Agriculture; Arid lands; Arid regions; Biofuels; Bioinformatics; Biomass; Biomaterials; Biotechnology; Cancer Research; Cell walls; Cellulose; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cultivation; enzymatic hydrolysis; Ethanol; ethanol production; experimental design; feedstocks; glucose; Hydrolysis; Leaves; Lignocellulose; Mexico; Original; Original Article; plant growth; Polysaccharides; renewable energy sources; Saccharification; Stem Cells; Sugar; Territory
• ISSN: 2190-572X; 2190-5738
• DOI: 10.1007/s13205-017-0714-9

Agave is a good source of polysaccharides for the production of fermentable sugars as sustainable bioenergy feedstock solutions for semi-arid and arid lands. This plant grows in arid areas, which correspond to a large territory in northern Mexico. Having lignocellulose as the polysaccharide of interest, the information for the enzymatic saccharification of this kind of material is limited. Agave cell walls have a unique recalcitrant nature, but having a high cellulose content, makes this plant material an interesting research subject. In this work, acidic, alkaline and aqueous pretreatments were evaluated to generate a biomass rich in cellulose. The saccharification of pretreated Agave leaves-residue was evaluated under experimental designs to identify the most suitable conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis. Maximum value obtained was 31% glucose, which further increased to 41.4% at extended hydrolysis time of 96 h. The highest cellulose-saccharification reached was up to 61.81%, making Agave atrovirens an alternative for bioethanol production in its geographical area of cultivation.