Characterisation of the large-scale production process of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) with the analysis of succession and spatial heterogeneity of lignocellulolytic enzyme activities

• Pleurotus ostreatus lignocellulolytic enzyme activity pattern was investigated.
• The investigation covered the whole cultivation period in a large-scale facility.
• Enzymatic activity of the replicate blocks showed similar tendency.
• Homogeneity of enzyme activities was tested with a novel CCDA statistic model.
• The CCDA showed minimal spatial enzymatic heterogeneity.

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) lignocellulolytic enzyme activity pattern and variation was investigated in a large-scale facility from spawning until the end of the second flush. In the first cultivation cycle laccase production reached its peak during vegetative growth stage, while manganese-peroxidase showed the highest activity during fruiting body induction. Cellulose and hemicellulose degrading enzymes had maximal activity at the beginning of flush and harvest stage. The enzyme activities showed similar tendencies among five different mushroom substrate blocks representing a production house. The spatial variability analysis of enzyme activities pointed out the within substrate block heterogeneity as the main source if variation. This result was confirmed by Combined Cluster and Discriminant Analysis (CCDA) method showing minimal among block heterogeneity considering the whole investigation period; furthermore in the first cultivation cycle all blocks were grouped into one cluster.