Fungi are the most suitable cellulase producers attributing to its ability to produce a complete cellulase system. 33 Genus, 175 Species fungi were isolated from Sanya mangrove, Hainan, China. Using congo red cellulose (CMC) medium, five fungi of cellulose-degrading were selected for further study. Molecular biology and morphological identification showed that all of these five fungi belong to Aspergillus fungi. The cellulase produced by these fungi were monitored during liquid state fermentation. The optimum conditions study for enzyme production illustrated that the highest activities appeared at pH 3.0, 35°C after fermentation for 3 days. Beyond that, the enzyme activity of mixed fungi is 11-26% higher than pure. The study demonstrated that mixed culture improved the hydrolysis of fungi cellulase.
Keywords: Aspergillus; cellulase; fungi; mangrove; mixed culture.