1. Introduction
Plant cell degrading enzymes are used industrially for
enhancing the quality of products and improving the
efficiency of the clarification of fruit juices and wines as
well as the extraction of oils. Enzyme preparations
usually contain the main hydrolytic enzymes important
for these processes, such as polygalacturonase, cellulase
and hemicellulase.
Some ongoing research conducted at Embrapa Food
Technology Center, showed that enzymes produced by
the mutant fungus Aspergillus niger 3T5B8 are suitable
for the extraction of oils from the pulp of oleaginous
fruits [1,2]. Additional studies are being conducted with
the purpose of improving the activities of these enzymes,
and, consequently, oil seed extraction