Abstract
Cellulases hydrolyze cellulosic material and the production is highly expensive than other commercial enzymes. Hence, there is a continuous search for cheap and novel substrates to minimize the production of this enzyme. In our study, a fungal isolate, Trichoderma hamatum NGL1 was isolated to produce endoglucanase (EGase) using cow dung in solid state fermentation (SSF). The process parameters were initially screened by a traditional one variable-at-a-time approach method, followed by a two level full factorial design. A two level full factorial design showed that pH, moisture (physical factors) and oat meal (nitrogen source) were the significant process parameters to improve the enzyme production (p < 0.05). Statistical approach revealed over threefold increase in cellulase production than before optimization. In this study, paddy straw was used as the substrate to evaluate the efficacy of sacchairification and saccharification process was maximum at 60 °C (p < 0.05).