Abstract: A process produces at least a first enzyme from a host cell, wherein the first enzyme is capable of hydrolyzing a first pre-treated ligno-cellulosic biomass. The process comprises the step of cultivating the host cell to produce at least the first enzyme for a cultivation time, wherein the cultivation of the host cell occurs in a sugar depleted cultivation environment comprising the host cell, water and a solid composition comprising a complex sugar of the solid composition and a lignin of the solid composition.

Abstract: The invention is to a novel method for evaluating the hydrolysis conversion of a enzyme or enzyme mixture relative to a specific ligno-cellulosic biomass. The method evaluates the hydrolysis conversion of a enzyme or enzyme mixture relative to a specific ligno-cellulosic biomass by preparing a pretreated ligno-cellulosic biomass suspension, a buffer solution and an enzyme or enzyme mixture solution; dispensing a portion of one or more of the three components into a plurality of test vials, subjecting one or more of the plurality of test vials to varying incubation periods, reducing the rate of incubation at the end of each incubation period, and analyzing the resulting samples for dissolved sugars to determine the rate of reaction.

Abstract: The invention is to a novel method for assaying most or all of the activities of an enzyme or enzyme solution that could be used to convert ligno-cellulosic material into monomeric sugars. The method characterizes enzymes and enzyme mixtures for the hydrolysis of ligno-cellulosic biomass by measuring the protein concentration of an enzyme or enzyme mixture, adding the enzyme or enzyme mixture to a plurality of test vials creating a liquid fraction in the plurality of test vials wherein each test vial in the plurality of test vials contains a different substrate, incubating each test vial for a period of time sufficient to establish the conversion of the substrate in each test vial of the plurality of test vials at the same pH and temperature, while, if necessary, providing at least enough agitation to keep the substrate in suspension, quenching the reaction, and analyzing the optical absorbance of the liquid fraction of at least one test vial of the plurality of test vials.

Abstract: This specification discloses a process for producing at least one enzyme from a host cell for the hydrolysis of a first pre-treated ligno-cellulosic biomass under simple sugar starved conditions wherein the cultivation environment has very little, preferable no, simple sugars added other than those present in a ligno-cellulosic biomass used to feed and grow the host cell. The cultivation environment is substantially void of fermentation stimulators and inducers of enzyme production. Preferably, the cultivation environment has a high dry matter content of the pre-treated ligno-cellulosic biomass.