Production of laccase by membrane-surface liquid culture of Trametes versicolor using a poly(l-lactic acid) membrane

Membrane-surface liquid culture (MSLC) is a promising method for the bioproduction of highly aerobic filamentous fungi [A. Ogawa, A. Yasuhara, T. Tanaka, T. Sakiyama, K. Nakanishi, Production of neutral protease by membrane-surface liquid culture of Aspergillus oryzae IAM2704, J. Ferment. Bioeng. 80 (1995) 35–40]. This paper reports on the production of laccase by Trametes versicolor on a microporous membrane of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), which can be biodegraded via composting after use. The membrane was stable as a support for 24 days at 30 °C. During the first 9 days in MSLC, the fungus produced half as much laccase as it did in liquid-surface culture (LSC); however, the mycelium on the membrane was able to be re-used five times for laccase production. The laccase production was accelerated in the repeated use of the culture while the mycelium in LSC ceased to produce the enzyme. This study shows that compostable PLLA microporous membranes can be used for enzyme production by MSLC of filamentous fungi.