Use of remazol blue dyed avicel for the determination of cellulolytic activity in basidiomycetes

A modified method for direct determination of cellulolytic activity using Avicel colored with Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) in Agar test tubes is discussed. Refinements were introduced in a simple method for quantitation of cellulase activity, based on the release of dye from Avicel-RBBR medium by the enzymatic hydrolysis. Modifications in Avicel-dye preparation were enhanced and a spectrophotometer for direct OD measurement in agar test tubes used. The use of a spectrophotometer improved the precision of the collected data, since absorbance measurements could be done at the maximum wavelenght for RBBR (595 nm).