A high-throughput and online analysis technique for use with insoluble cellulase has been described by Jochen Büchs and colleagues, Aachen, Germany. Three different substrates were tested using a commercial cellulase preparation. The activity was quantified using the BioLector technique, which measures scattered light intensities in a continuously shaken microtiter plate.

The authors determined cellulase/cellulose ratios for optimal processing and the ideal pH for maximum cellulase activity. They show for the first time that high-throughput scattered light measurements can be used for monitoring the non-hydrolytic effect of cellulases on insoluble cellulose.

This new platform will accelerate fundamental research on cellulase screening. The hydrolysis of cellulose, a renewable resource for production of biofuels and chemicals, to glucose is currently the rate-limiting and most expensive processing step.

• Screening of cellulases for biofuel production: Online monitoring of the enzymatic hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose using high-throughput scattered light detection,
  Gernot Jäger, Helene Wulfhorst, Erik U. Zeithammel, Efthimia Elinidou, Antje C. Spiess, Jochen Büchs,
  Biotechnol. J. 2011, 6.
  DOI: 10.1002/biot.201000387