Degradation of plant cell wall polysaccharides is of major importance in the food and feed, beverage, textile, and paper and pulp industries, as well as in several other industrial production processes. Enzymatic degradation of these polymers has received attention for many years and is becoming a more and more attractive alternative to chemical and mechanical processes. Over the past 15 years, much progress has been made in elucidating the structural characteristics of these polysaccharides and in characterizing the enzymes involved in their degradation and the genes of biotechnologically relevant microorganisms encoding these enzymes. The members of the fungal genus Aspergillus are commonly used for the production of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. This genus produces a wide spectrum of cell wall-degrading enzymes, allowing not only complete degradation of the polysaccharides but also tailored modifications by using specific enzymes purified from these fungi. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the cell wall polysaccharide-degrading enzymes from aspergilli and the genes by which they are encoded.

Aspergillus Enzymes Involved in Degradation of Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharides

Esterase plays a major role in the degradation of natural materials and industrial pollutants, viz, cereal wastes, plastics, and other toxic chemicals It is useful in the synthesis of optically pure compounds, perfumes, and antioxidants The potential applications of esterase with reference to agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical industries, are discussed in this review Promising applications in this avenue can be supported by appropriate production strategies

F. Rombouts

Papers

Purification et Proprietes de la Pectinesterase Produite par Aspergillus niger