Multienzyme systems for efficient lignocellulose hydrolysis

Lignocellulosic raw materials are complex substrates composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. During the pretreatment steps, the structure and composition is modified in order to of convert cellulose more accessible towards enzymatic hydrolysis. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose can be improved by increasing the specific activity, functionality and stability of cellulases, by designing more optimal cellulase mixtures, by improving the enzyme production systems and by optimizing hydrolysis techniques. Less attention has been paid to the role of other enzymes hydrolysing or modifying lignin and hemicellulose. This paper highlights the roles of various hemicellulases and lignin modifying enzymes, with the aim of improving the overall performance of the enzymatic hydrolysis.