Abstract

Groundnut fodder was used as substrate for cellulase production by solid state fermentation by Aspergillus unguis. Different
concentrations of NaOH on cellulase production and effect of temperature, pH, and surfactants were optimized to enhance
cellulase production and reducing sugars yield, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, 1% NaOH-treated groundnut
fodder produced maximum filter paperase activity with 5.45 FPU/g of substrate, carboxymethyl cellulase activity of 4.75 U/g
of substrate, and β-glucosidase activity of 19.0 U/g of substrate at 1 ml of crude cellulase preparation. Higher yield of reducing
sugars was obtained at 50°C with 4.8 g/l, pH 4.8 with 4.37 g/l. Non-ionic surfactant Tween-80 increased the rate of reducing
sugars yield at all temperatures such as 40oC, 45°C, and 50°C. pH 4.8 with addition of Tween-80 showed improvement in
reducing sugar yield about 2-fold by 7.16 g/L.