Production of laccase from a white rot fungi isolated from the Amazon forest for oxidation of Remazol Brilliant Blue-R

Induction of fungal laccase production under solid state bioprocessing of new agroindustrial waste and its application on dye decolorization

Lignocellulosic wastes are generally produced in huge amounts worldwide. Peach waste of these obtained from fruit juice industry was utilized as the substrate for laccase production by Pleurotus eryngii under solid state bioprocessing (SSB). Its chemical composition was determined and this bioprocess was carried out under stationary conditions at 28 °C. The effects of different compounds; copper, iron, Tween 80, ammonium nitrate and manganese, and their variable concentrations on laccase production were investigated in detail. The optimum production of laccase (43,761.33 ± 3845 U L^-1) was achieved on the day of 20 by employing peach waste of 5.0 g and 70 µM Cu²⁺, 18 µM Fe²⁺, 0.025% (v/v) Tween 80, 4.0 g L^-1 ammonium nitrate, 750 µM Mn²⁺ as the inducers. The dye decolorization also researched to determine the degrading capability of laccase produced from peach culture under the above-mentioned conditions. Within this scope of the study, methyl orange, tartrazine, reactive red 2 and reactive black dyes were treated with this enzyme. The highest decolorization was performed with methyl orange as 43 ± 2.8% after 5 min of treatment when compared to other dyes. Up to now, this is the first report on the induction of laccase production by P. eryngii under SSB using peach waste as the substrate.

Diverse Metabolic Capacities of Fungi for Bioremediation

Bioremediation refers to cost-effective and environment-friendly method for converting the toxic, recalcitrant pollutants into environmentally benign products through the action of various biological treatments. Fungi play a major role in bioremediation owing to their robust morphology and diverse metabolic capacity. The review focuses on different fungal groups from a variety of habitats with their role in bioremediation of different toxic and recalcitrant compounds; persistent organic pollutants, textile dyes, effluents from textile, bleached kraft pulp, leather tanning industries, petroleum, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and pesticides. Bioremediation of toxic organics by fungi is the most sustainable and green route for cleanup of contaminated sites and we discuss the multiple modes employed by fungi for detoxification of different toxic and recalcitrant compounds including prominent fungal enzymes viz., catalases, laccases, peroxidases and cyrochrome P450 monooxygeneses. We have also discussed the recent advances in enzyme engineering and genomics and research being carried out to trace the less understood bioremediation pathways.