Screening of agro-industrial wastes to produce ligninolytic enzymes by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Ligninolytic enzyme production by solid-state cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM-F-1767 was investigated by employing different agro-industrial wastes, such as fishery residues, brewery waste, apple waste (pomace) and pulp and paper industry sludge. Different enzyme inducers, such as veratryl alcohol, Tween-80 and CuSO4 at concentrations of 2 mM, 0.5% (v/w) and 3 mmole/kg, respectively were also tested. Use of veratryl alcohol and Tween-80 resulted in maximum manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity of 17.36 ± 0.5, 540.2 ± 5.1, 631.25 ± 14, and 507.5 ± 26.87 U/gds (units/gram dry substrate), respectively, for different wastes. Maximum lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity of 141.38 ± 3.39 and 14.1 ± 0.5 U/gds was attained with pomace and pulp and paper, respectively. Laccase activities were found to be insignificant for all wastes. Addition of Tween-80 and CuSO4 resulted in highest values of MnP activity of 17.4 ± 0.6, 291 ± 2.8, 213.5 ± 3, and 213.2 ± 3.2 U/gds for fishery waste, brewery waste, pomace and pulp and paper industry sludge, respectively. Addition of CuSO4 to the culture medium enhanced laccase activity. Maximum laccase activities of 738.97 ± 9.2, 719.97 ± 14.6, 308.8 ± 12.1, and 94.44 ± 1.2 U/gds were obtained for brewery waste, pomace, pulp and paper industry sludge and fishery waste, respectively. Brewery wastes and pomace served as excellent sources for the production of MnP, LiP and laccases.