Lignocellulosic biomass is the basic structural component of the plant cell wall, containing cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, and is a source of renewable energy and potential industrial raw materials. Fungi are effective decomposers of organic matter and polymeric compounds as they secrete numerous hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes, including those of biotechnological interest. The most important enzymes involved in the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose are glycoside hydrolases, including cellulases and xylanases. The objectives of the Master's thesis were i) to prepare aqueous extracts from 28 fungi collected in Slovenian forests, ii) to determine whether fungal aqueous extracts contain enzymes involved in the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, and iii) to determine the pH range for their optimal activity. In certain fungal extracts, we were able to detect enzymatic activities corresponding to cellulases and xylanases. Among them, we identified some species whose cellulase and xylanase activities have not yet been described in the literature. We have found that cellulases and xylanases have optimal activity in the acidic pH range.
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