In vivo decolourization of the polymeric dye poly R-478 by corncob cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

In this paper, the in vivo decolourization of the polymeric dye Poly R-478 by semi-solid-state cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM-F-1767 (ATCC 24725) was investigated, employing corncob as a support. In order to stimulate the ligninolytic system of the fungus, the cultures were supplemented with veratryl alcohol (2 mM) or manganese (IV) oxide (1 g/l). Maximum manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP) and lignin peroxidase (LiP) activities of around 2,000 U/l and 400 U/l were attained by the former, whereas the activities reached by the latter were of about 1,500 U/l and 200 U/l, respectively. Furthermore, laccase activity (around 150 U/l) was only detected in manganese (IV) oxide supplemented cultures. The polymeric dye Poly R-478 (0.02 w/v) was added to three-day-old cultures. A percentage of biological decolourization of about 85% was achieved using cultures supplemented with veratryl alcohol, whereas MnO2 cultures showed a rather lower percentage of around 58% after nine days of dye incubation. Moreover, a correlation between MnP activity and Poly R-478 decolourization could be observed, indicating that this enzyme is mainly responsible for dye degradation. In the present work, the in vivo decolourizing capability of the ligninolytic complex secreted by P.chrysosporium was investigated under the above-mentioned cultivation conditions, employing a model compound, such as the polymeric dye Poly R-478.