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Oxidases production by Trametes versicolor grown on green waste and on polyurethane foam in solid-state fermentation: A comparative study
Summary
Researchers grew the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor on green waste (grass clippings and plant trimmings) and on polyurethane foam and compared enzyme production in both conditions. The fungus produced significantly higher levels of all four wood-degrading enzymes when grown on green waste compared to the plastic foam support. This study is primarily about fungal enzyme biotechnology using polyurethane as an inert growth support, with limited direct relevance to microplastic degradation or pollution.
Green waste (GW) is generated by the maintenance of public or private green spaces. It is necessary to find ecological alternatives for GW utilization, aiming to avoid accumulation of this material at the environment. In this research, the production of laccase (Lac), lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP) and unspecific peroxygenase (UnP) produced by Trametes versicolor grown on GW as a substrate and on polyurethane foam (PUF) as an inert support in solid state fermentation was evaluated. T. versicolor showed higher values of Lac, MnP, UnP and LiP activities (34, 943, 1023 and 766 U/gS, respectively) when grown on GW than when grown on PUF (10.9, 588, 559 and 229 U/gS, respectively). These results suggest that T. versicolor produced Lac inducible and constitutively, while LiP, MnP and UnP were induced by GW at the beginning of fungal growth, however, these enzymes were constitutive and inducible during the rest of the fermentation. The production of oxidases and peroxidases was induced and increased by GW. It is suggested that LiP is involved (as a constitutive enzyme) at the beginning of the exponential phase, while MnP and UnP participate in fungal growth at the end of fermentation. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed study on the main lignincellulose-degrading fungal enzymes involved in GW degradation by fungi. In particular, the relevance of UnP was showed as peroxidase involved in lignocellulosic substrates biodegradation.
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