Screening and Molecular Identification of Potential Lignolytic White Rot Fungi Isolated from Western Ghats

Abstract

The mounting concerns over the usage of enormous amount of wood and perilous chemicals in paper industry have led the researchers to develop ecofriendly green technologies for pulp and paper production. Lignocellulosic agro-waste can be an excellent alternative to the wood in papermaking. White rot fungi with ligninolytic properties can be effectively used for pretreatment of agro-wastes for pulp making. This study isolates and identifies previously unexplored strains of white rot fungi from Western Ghats of Kerala, India which can be used for developing biological systems for lignocellulosic treatment in pulp and paper production. Ten isolates were identified using molecular techniques and screened for their extracellular enzyme activities, including laccase, Manganese peroxidase and Lignin peroxidase. Among the 10 isolates, Trametes versicolor (Laccase activity 31.79 U/ml, Manganese peroxidase (MnP) 42.336 U/ml and Lignin peroxidase (LiP) - 50.65U/ml, Favolus teniculus (Laccase - 41.54 U/ml, MnP - 44.07 U/ml &LiP - 30.54), Coriolopsis byrsina (Laccase - 42.56 U/ml, MnP - 43.54 U/ml and LiP - 25.14 U/ml) Lenzitus betulina (Laccase - 37.15 U/ml, MnP - 38.97 U/ml and LiP - 30.43 U/ml) exhibited highly promising lignolytic enzymatic system. The study’s findings may provide a better eco-friendly substitute for conventional chemical treatments in various industrial applications.