Co-cultivation of Trichoderma reesei RutC30 with three black Aspergillus strains facilitates efficient hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw and shows promises for on-site enzyme production.

Co-cultivation of fungi may be an excellent system for on-site production of cellulolytic enzymes in a single bioreactor. Enzyme supernatants from mixed cultures of Trichoderma reesei RutC30, with either the novel Aspergillus saccharolyticus AP, Aspergillus carbonarius ITEM 5010 or Aspergillus niger CBS 554.65 cultivated in solid-state fermentation were tested for avicelase, FPase, endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase activity as well as in hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw. Around 30% more avicelase activity was produced in co-cultivation of T. reesei and A. saccharolyticus than in T. reesei monoculture, suggesting synergistic interaction between those fungi. Fermentation broths of mixed cultures of T. reesei with different Aspergillus strains resulted in approx. 80% efficiency of hydrolysis which was comparable to results obtained using blended supernatants from parallel monocultures. This indicates that co-cultivation of T. reesei with A. saccharolyticus or A. carbonarius could be a competitive alternative for monoculture enzyme production and a cheaper alternative to commercial enzymes.