Enzymatic hydrolysis of brewer’s spent grain in three different forms: original (untreated), pretreated by dilute acid (cellulignin), and pretreated
by a sequence of dilute acid and dilute alkali (cellulose pulp), was studied to verify the effect of hemicellulose and lignin on cellulose conversion
into glucose. The hydrolysis was carried out using a commercial cellulase concentrate (Celluclast 1.5 L) in an enzyme/substrate ratio of 45 FPU/g,
2% (w/v) substrate concentration, 45 ◦C for 96 h. According to the results, the cellulose hydrolysis was affected by the presence of hemicellulose
and/or lignin in the sample. The cellulose conversion ratio (defined as glucose yield + cellobiose yield) from cellulignin was 3.5-times higher than
that from untreated sample, whereas from cellulose pulp such value was 4-times higher, correspondent to 91.8% (glucose yield of 85.6%). This best
result was probably due to the strong modification in the material structure caused by the hemicellulose and lignin removal from the sample. As a
consequence, the cellulose fibers were separated being more susceptible to the enzymatic attack. It was concluded that the lower the hemicellulose
and lignin contents in the sample, the higher the efficiency of cellulose hydrolysis.