The surfactant effect in lignocellulose hydrolysis has been explained by surfactants ability to disrupt the substrate and make cellulose more accessible to enzymatic attack [18].
Our results on enzyme adsorption during hydrolysis in the presence of Tween 20 do not support this theory. If the surfactant had the effect of increasing cellulases access to cellulose by disrupting the lignocellulose material, an increase in enzyme adsorption would be expected.
This was not observed. On the contrary, the increase in conversion coincided,
in all SPS hydrolysis experiments, with a decrease in Cel7A adsorption (Figs. 1–4 and 7).
Further, the similar effect of surfactant and protein (BSA) on SPS (discussed here)
is not likely to be accommodated in a mechanism based on substrate disruption.