Enzymatic Production of Soluble Sugars from Corn Husks

Of the three commercial enzyme preparations examined, Rapidase Pomaliq (Gist-brocades) was found to yield more soluble sugars from corn husks than Celluclast 1.5 L (Novo Nordisk) or Clarex ML (Genencor). Under favorable conditions (pretreated with 1.25 M NaOH, followed by 30 h of reaction at 50°C and pH 5.0), Rapidase Pomaliq was capable of increasing the concentration of soluble sugars from an initial value of 156 g to nearly 600 g/kg of dry matter of corn husks. Products of the enzymatic reaction were identified as glucose, xylose, cellobiose, xylobiose, and arabinose. The results of this study indicate that Rapidase Pomaliq, an enzyme preparation derived from Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei, could serve as a sole enzyme source for the production of soluble sugars from corn husks.