New approaches to increasing the yield of laccase from Panus tigrinus

We optimized the conditions for laccase production by the lignolytic fungus Panus tigrinus 8/18. 2,4-Dimethylphenol was used as an aromatic inducer. Introduction of 2,4-dimethylphenol and 2 mM CuSO4 into a rich medium was followed by a tenfold increase in the yield of this enzyme. Additional treatment of the medium with perftoran (an oxygen-transporting agent) and immobilization of the fungus on polycaproamide fibers significantly increased the activity of laccase in the medium. Thus, optimum conditions for cultivation of P. tigrinus were found, which allowed an increase in laccase activity in the medium 25-fold as compared to that achieved using any other method described previously.