Towards Higher Laccase Activities Produced by Aquatic Ascomycetous Fungi Through Combination of Elicitors and an Alternative Substrate

Laccases are versatile biocatalysts with various potential biotechnological applications, e.g. the treatment of industrial waste waters, the detoxification of environmental pollutants, or the functionalization of renewable polymeric materials. Central composition experimental design and response sur...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Engineering in life sciences 2008-06, Vol.8 (3), p.277-285
Main Authors: Junghanns, C., Parra, R., Keshavarz, T., Schlosser, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ascomycetes
Laccase production
Optimization
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Laccases are versatile biocatalysts with various potential biotechnological applications, e.g. the treatment of industrial waste waters, the detoxification of environmental pollutants, or the functionalization of renewable polymeric materials. Central composition experimental design and response surface methodology was applied to optimize the production of laccase by the aquatic ascomycetous fungi, Phoma sp. UHH 5‐1‐03 and Coniothyrium sp. Kl‐S5, in shake flasks. A complex plant‐based medium (tomato juice) and two elicitors (Remazol Brilliant Blue R [RBBR] and CuSO4) were tested in combination at three concentrations. The highest laccase activity of 6322 ± 403 U/L was achieved on day 9 for Phoma sp. Coniothyrium sp. exerted a maximum laccase activity of 3035 ± 111 U/L on day 4. Optimal conditions were 30 % tomato juice and 450 mg/L RBBR for both strains. A concentration of 250 μM CuSO4 led to highest laccase activities in cultures of Coniothyrium sp., and 50 μM CuSO4 was most effective for Phoma sp. A remarkable synergistic effect of tomato juice and RBBR on laccase production was observed for both strains. The upscaling potential of the optimal induction conditions was demonstrated in a lab‐scale fermenter which resulted in maximum activities of 11030 ± 177 U/L on day 6 for Phoma sp. and 11530 ± 161 U/L on day 9 for Coniothyrium sp. This study therefore presents a promising alternative for laccase production in ascomycetes based on a cheap complex substrate in combination with two elicitors. Laccases are versatile biocatalysts with various potential biotechnological applications, e.g. the treatment of industrial wastewaters, or the functionalization of renewable polymeric materials. This study presents a promising alternative for laccase production in ascomycetes based on a cheap complex substrate (tomato juice) in combination with two elicitors (Remazol Brilliant Blue R and CuSO4).
ISSN:1618-0240
1618-2863
DOI:10.1002/elsc.200800042