Mycobiology  2014;42(2):181-184

Isolation and Analysis of the Enzymatic Properties of Thermophilic Fungi from Compost.

Hanbyul LEE 1 ; Young Min LEE ; Yeongseon JANG ; Sangjoon LEE ; Hwanhwi LEE ; Byoung Jun AHN ; Gyu Hyeok KIM ; Jae Jin KIM

Affiliations

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Keywords

Cellulase; Compost; Thermophilic fungi; Xylanase

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on thermophilic fungi isolated in Korea. Three species of thermophiles were isolated from compost and were identified as Myriococcum thermophilum, Thermoascus aurantiacus, and Thermomyces lanuginosus. They can grow at temperatures above 50degrees C and produce high levels of cellulolytic and xylanolytic enzymes at high temperatures. Notably, the considerable thermostability of the endo-glucanase produced by T. aurantiacus has made the fungus an attractive source of industrial enzymes.