Use of wastes from the tea and coffee industries for the production of cellulases using fungi isolated from the Western Ghats of India

In this study, coffee pulp ( Coffea arabica ) and green tea ( Camellia sinensis ) residues were characterized for use as a substrate of solid-state fermentation for cellulases production. The invasion rate was evaluated, as well as cellulases production by strains of Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma asperellum from the western Ghats of India, on coffee pulp, green tea, and a mixture of both substrates (50:50). T. asperellum (AFP) strain was found to have the highest growth rate (0.409 ± 0.021 mm/h) using a mixture of both substrates. The production of cellulases by T. asperellum was unsatisfactory due to the presence of polyphenols in the supports to which A. nigger cellulases are more resistant. The production of cellulases by A. nigger was linked to the pH of the supports, favouring the use of T and TC. It was found that the extracts produced by A. niger (28A strain using a mixture substrate, 28A, and 20A strains using only green tea as a substrate) presented the highest cellulase activities when evaluated using a plate technique producing degradation halos of 2.3 ± 0.1 cm of diameter. Aspergillus 28A strain did not require mineral enrichment media for cellulase production using green tea residues as support of solid-state fermentation.