Single Pot Enzymatic Treatment of Sugarcane Bagasse Using Laccase and Cellulase for the Production of Value-Added Products

The study was aimed to pretreat, saccharify and ferment sugarcane bagasse in a single pot in a short duration without using excessive chemicals. The pretreatment was initially combined with saccharification by using laccase from Trametes pubescens MB89 and cellulase from Neobacillus sedimentimangrovi UE25 that released higher amounts of sugar than that of separate processes. The investigation of pretreatment and saccharification through Plackett–Burman design revealed that the process yields maximum reducing sugars when 5 IU each of immobilized cellulase and laccase were used to saccharify 5% native bagasse in a buffer of pH 5 at 30 °C and 50 rpm for 24 h. Scanning electron microscopic images and FTIR spectra revealed that the action of laccase alone or in conjunction with cellulase dismantled the substrate more than that of cellulase alone and removed lignin. Subsequently, the process was combined with fermentation by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae MK-157 that yielded 3.35% ethanol. Likewise, a titer of 1.032 and 3.309 IU mL −1 of pectinase was obtained by the simultaneous process with Geotrichum candidum AA-15 and Bacillus vallismortis MH-1, respectively. The current study highlighted the feasibility of enzymatic pretreatment and saccharification of sugarcane bagasse along with its fermentation to obtain value-added products.